Carotenoids, tocopherols, organic acids, charbohydrate and mineral content in different medicinal plant extracts

Abstract

Nettle (Urtica dioica L.), tansy (Tanacetum vulgare L.), bladder campion (Silene vulgaris (Moench) Garcke, waterpepper (Polygonum hydropiper L.), common centaury (Centaurium erythraea Pers.) and rose hip fruit (Rosa canina L. cv. Plovdiv 1) were used for preparation of different water extracts (infusion, decoction and microwave extract) and ethanol (tincture) extracts. Carotenoids (lutein, lycopene and β-carotene), tocopherols (α-, γ- and δ-), organic acids (ascorbic, malic, fumaric and citric), five macro- and three microelements, sugars and uronic acids content in the obtained extracts were analyzed. Among the investigated plants, stinging nettle, bladder campion and rose hip fruit were evaluated as most potential with respect to bioactive compounds and microelements. The results showed that the selected six medicinal plants and their extracts can be presented as sources of dietary fibers and micronutrients, which may encourage further application as food supplements and beverages as well as to motivate plant use as a dietary alternative in different foods. The present study is a first detailed analysis with respect to sugar content of decoction, infusion and tincture of S. vulgaris.

Comparative Study of Early- and Mid-Ripening Peach (Prunus persica L.) Varieties: Biological Activity, Macro-, and Micro- Nutrient Profile

“…Tomás-Barberán et al [ 62 ] reported no clear differences between the phenolic content of nectarines and peaches and the color of the flesh of the cultivars. Furthermore, no clear trend in the phenolic content and ripening of the different cultivars was observed [ 20 , 30 ]. This is not the case of the present research where the mid-ripening varieties and the white flesh flat peach had less total phenolic acids, which is in agreement with the results documented by Scordino et al [ 73 ].…”

“…Qualitative and quantitative determination of carotenoids was performed by using a LaChrom Elite (Hitachi, Tokyo, Japan) high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) system equipped with a diode array detector (DAD) and LaChrom Elite (Hitachi, Tokyo, Japan) software. The assay was performed according to the method described by Mihaylova et al [ 20 ] with some modifications. Separation of the carotenoids was performed on a Supelco Discovery HS C18 column (Sigma-Aldrich, Darmstadt, Germany, 5 μm, 25 cm × 4.6 mm), at 30 °C with a 1 mL/min flow rate of mobile phase consisting of methanol:acetonitrile (8:2, v / v , solvent A) and tert-butyl methyl ether (MTBE, solvent B).…”

“…Separation of tocopherols was performed on a Symmetry ® C18 (5 μm, 15 cm × 4.6 mm) column (Waters, Milford, CT, USA) at 30 °C in isocratic mode with a mobile phase of methanol:water (98:2, v / v ) with a flow rate of 2 mL/min [ 20 ]. The tocopherols were detected with a DAD at 285 nm.…”

The Methoxylated, Highly Conjugated C40 Carotenoids, Spirilloxanthin and Anhydrorhodovibrin, Can Be Separated Using High Performance Liquid Chromatography with Safe and Environmentally Friendly Solvents

“…We also tried a completely different solvent, MTBE, which has been used extensively in carotenoid HPLC analysis [18,24,25,26,27,28,29,30,31]. However, in a run with the Sample and Syringe Solvent MTBE/MeOH/NH 4 OAc (25 mM) (70/30/1 ( v/v/v )) (see [24]), we observed a considerable broadening of the Spx peak at 10 min (Figure 5E).…”

“…However, for the separation of Spx all- E and cis stereoisomers, a more non-polar solvent combination (hexane(Hx)/ethyldiisopropylamine/Ac (98.5/0.05/1.5 ( v/v/v )) had to be employed [22]. In recent years, parallel to the still successful use of AcN-mixtures [20,21,23], another solvent, methyl tert -butyl ether (MTBE), which, like AcN, has a very low viscosity, was employed successfully for the separation of various (mainly plant-derived) carotenoids and apocarotenoids [18,24,25,26,27,28,29,30,31]. Since MTBE is highly non-polar, it has been often employed in gradients in combination with MeOH and H 2 O, in the presence of an ion pair (e.g., ammonium acetate (NH 4 OAc)).…”