Chemical composition and application of flowers of false acacia (Robinia pseudoacacia L.)

Abstract

Introduction. The study was carried out to determine the chemical composition and biological activity of false acacia flowers and their products (concrete and syrups) grown in Bulgaria. Materials and methods. Concrete was obtained by extraction with n-hexane and its chemical composition was determined by GC-MS. Syrups with different concentrations have been obtained and their polyphenols content, antimicrobial and antioxidant activity were established. Result and discussion. The yield of concrete was 1.06% and the major constituents of the concrete are as follows: n-nonacosane (25.18%), n-heptacosane (20.10%), α-linolenic acid (5.97%), n-pentacosane (4.98%), palmitic acid (4.92%), diisooctyl phthalate (4.05%), hexahydrofarnesyl acetone (3.86%), linoleic acid (3.64%), isopropyl myristate (3.47%), and n-hentriacontane (3.39%). The total aliphatic hydrocarbons constituted the highest percentage of the component of the concrete constituting 61.50%. The minerals identified as biggest content in the tested samples of false acacia flowers are nickel, copper, calcium and chromium. Higher values of phenolic compounds in the flowers (0.77 mg GAE/mL) than those of the syrup 60 °Brix (0.06 mg GAE/mL) and R. pseudoacacia syrup 70 °Brix (0.14 mg GAE/mL) were found. The syrup samples exhibit antimicrobial properties against foodborne pathogenic bacteria as Salmonella, E. coli and L. monocytogenes. Conclusion. Based on the chemical and biochemical properties of false acacia flowers, it could be recommended as a potential raw material for food, pharmaceutical and cosmetic products.

Phytochemical Profile and Microbiological Activity of Some Plants Belonging to the Fabaceae Family

“…Thus, in the case of RP, Marinas et al (2014) [29] found a content of 26.67 mg GAE/g, and for MA, the level was reported at 14.8 mg GAE/g [30]. Higher values of phenolic compounds in the flowers (0.77 mg GAE/mL) were observed compared to syrup 60 • Brix (0.06 mg GAE/mL) and R. pseudoacacia syrup 70 • Brix (0.14 mg GAE/mL) [31]. Serbian RP showed values of 74.28 ± 1.73 for TPC (mg GAE/g) [29], while Arnold et al (2015) [32] reported a phenolic content of 20.55 ± 2.56 mg GAE/g in the OS extract.…”

“…All extracts had a colony-stimulating action (RP ↑ > CV ↑ > MO ↑ > OS ↑), being one of the few microorganisms more difficult to control [52]. In the cited literature [53], MO proved a weak effect on S. aureus, RP showed no effect on S. cholerae in any of the four types of extracts tested, and OS proved no effect against S. aureus (PeruMycA 7) in concentrations higher than 250 µg/mL [1, 29,31].…”

The Edibility Approach, Chemical Ecology and Relationality. Methodological and Ethnobotanical Contributions

“…The thorns, a highly unwanted feature from the village dwellers' point of view, play a role in protecting the plant from herbivores (including human beings as shown above). The bioactive compounds present in all parts of the plant (except the flowers), and especially in the bark, may be toxic to human and non-human animals (Stankov et al 2018;Tyśkiewicz et al 2019). Thus, they play a similar role to thorns.…”

Evaluation of the Antioxidant, Cytotoxic and Antitumoral Activities of a Polyphenolic Extract of Robinia Pseudoacacia L. Flowers

“…The antioxidant activity of the vegetal extracts may represent valuable information, as it may partly explain their antitumoural effect. Currently, there are numberless data in the literature regarding the antioxidant activity of vegetal compounds, which are generally correlated to their anti-aging and antitumoural action [9][10][11][12][13][14].…”