The berries of sea buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides ssp. rhamnoides) cultivars 'Terhi' and 'Tytti' were studied with respect to their growth location, 60 degrees and 68 degrees N latitude in Finland and 46 degrees N in Canada, using H-1 NMR metabolomics. The berries of 'Terhi' were characterised by stronger signals of quinic acid, while 'Tytti' had higher levels of 0-ethyl beta-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. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.