The berries of sea buckthorn (Hippophaë rhamnoides ssp. rhamnoides) cultivars 'Terhi' and 'Tytti' were studied with respect to their growth location, 60° and 68°N latitude in Finland and 46°N in Canada, using 1H NMR metabolomics. The berries of 'Terhi' were characterised by stronger signals of quinic acid, while 'Tytti' had higher levels of O-ethyl β-d-glucopyranoside. The metabolic profile of the northernmost berries was distinctly different from those grown in southern Finland or Canada. Berries from northern Finland had relatively higher levels of quinic acid, glucose, l-quebrachitol and ascorbic acid. Ethyl glucoside was shown to accumulate by several fold at the late stage of maturation in the south as it correlated with degree days (r=0.63) and global radiation (r=0.59), but not in the north. The variance in the composition of the sea buckthorn berries demonstrates plasticity in the acclimatisation to growth environments.
Keywords: Cultivars; Hippophaë rhamnoides; Latitude; Metabolomics; NMR; Origin; Ssp. rhamnoides; Weather conditions.
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