Common names | Maqui, Chilean wineberry

Scientific name | Aristotelia chilensis

Used part | Fruit

Known active compounds | delphinidin, cyanidin, aristoteline, serratoline, rutin 

Potential benefits in cosmetics | anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-photoaging 

Product name | Maqui Berry-ANB

 

 

Plant Story

Aristotelia chilensis, commonly known as maqui or Chilean wineberry, is a small evergreen tree native to South America. They grow in the Chilean rainforests and southern Argentina, producing small purple-black edible berries. Traditionally, the Mapuche, indigenous inhabitants of southern Chile and southwestern Argentina, have used the maqui leaves, stems, berries, and its wine for a long time for medicinal purposes. It was believed to heal wounds and to relieve sore throats. The Mapuche warriors drank the beverage made from maqui berry to get strength and stamina. Today, the maqui berry is regarded as a super fruit due to its anti-oxidant properties.

 

The berries are rich in anthocyanins, especially delphinidin, cyanidin, and their derivatives. The total anthocyanin content in the maqui berry extracts is about 35%, of which the anthocyanin proportion is about 80% of delphinidin, with malvidin, petunidin, cyanidin, and peonidin derivatives. The maqui berry extracts shows high anti-oxidant activities when tested with DPPH, FRAP, and ORAC. The extracts also have anti-inflammatory activities by reducing NO and PGE2 production and iNOS and COX-2 expression when treated to LPS-stimulated RAW264.7 macrophages. They also inhibited UVB-induced cell damage of fibroblast cells by inhibiting up-regulated MMP-1 expression.