**4. Conclusions**

The present study evaluated for the first time the stability of anthocyanins from Cornelian cherries during their passage through the upper gastrointestinal tract by an in vitro simulation of the digestion process. The e ffect of the in vitro gastrointestinal digestion on the antioxidant capacity of the anthocyanin-rich extract was also investigated. The results indicated the presence of three anthocyanins, cyanidin-3- *O*-galactoside, pelargonidin-3- *O*-glucoside, and pelargonidin-3- *O*-rutinoside, in Cornelian cherry fruits, compounds that were not significantly a ffected by the gastric digestion. Intestinal digestion resulted in a large decrease of the anthocyanin content and antioxidant activity of the investigated fruit extract. These findings sugges<sup>t</sup> that anthocyanins' stability during gastrointestinal digestion should be taken into account when estimating their bioavailability. The consumption of Cornelian cherries may be an important source of anthocyanins in the human diet, which may exert their health beneficial e ffects at the gastric level, while their degradation products and metabolites may act as antioxidants in small intestine.

**Author Contributions:** Conceptualization, methodology, writing, original draft preparation, writing, review and editing, and project administration, L.D. and B.M.; formal analysis, V.D.; investigation, L.D., V.D., B.M., and A.F.; funding acquisition, A.F.

**Funding:** This research was funded by the Ministry of National Education, Grant Number PN-III-P4-IC-PCE-2016-0396.

**Conflicts of Interest:** The authors declare no conflict of interest. The funders had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript; nor in the decision to publish the results.
