Comparative Study of Chemical Composition and Antioxidant Activity of Essential Oils and Crude Extracts of Four Characteristic Zingiberaceae Herbs

Abstract

The ginger family (Zingiberaceae) includes plants that are known worldwide to have a distinctive smell and taste, which are often used as spices in the kitchen, but also in various industries (pharmaceutical, medical, and cosmetic) due to their proven biological activity. The aim of this study was to investigate and compare the chemical composition and antioxidant activity (AA) of essential oils (EOs) of four characteristic ginger species: Elettaria cardamomum L. Maton (cardamom), Curcuma Longa L. (turmeric), Zingiber Officinale Roscoe (ginger), and Alpinia Officinarum Hance (galangal). Furthermore, the total phenolic content (TPC) and AA of crude extracts obtained after using ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) and different extraction solvents (80% ethanol, 80% methanol and water) were evaluated. A total of 87 different chemical components were determined by GC-MS/MS in the EOs obtained after hydrodistillation, 14 of which were identified in varying amounts in all EOs. The major compounds found in cardamom, turmeric, ginger, and galangal were α-terpinyl acetate (40.70%), β-turmerone (25.77%), α-zingiberene (22.69%) and 1,8-cineol (42.71%), respectively. In general, 80% ethanol was found to be the most effective extracting solvent for the bioactivities of the investigated species from the Zingiberaceae family. Among the crude extracts, ethanolic extract of galangal showed the highest TPC value (63.01 ± 1.06 mg GA g−1 DW), while the lowest TPC content was found in cardamom water extract (1.04 ± 0.29 mg GA g−1 DW). The AA evaluated by two different assays (ferric-reducing antioxidant power-FRAP and the scavenging activity of the cationic ABTS radical) proved that galangal rhizome is the plant with the highest antioxidant potential. In addition, no statistical difference was found between the AA of turmeric and ginger extracts, while cardamom rhizome was again inferior. In contrast to the crude extracts, the EOs resulted in significantly lower ABTS and FRAP values, with turmeric EO showing the highest AA.

Benefits of Cardamom (Elettaria cardamomum (L.) Maton) and Turmeric (Curcuma longa L.) Extracts for Their Applications as Natural Anti-Inflammatory Adjuvants

“…In C. longa, β-turmerone, α-turmerone, Ar-turmerone, 16-kauren-19-yl acetate, α-atlantone, β-sesquiphellandrene, and benzene were identified (Figure 1b). The compounds identified in both aqueous extracts represent the bioactive compounds previously reported for both plants [11].…”

“…The following phytochemical tests were performed to identify the functional groups of each extract: Lieberman-Buchard (sterols, triterpenes), Shinoda (flavonoids), Baljet (sesquiterpene lactones), sulfuric acid (quinones), and ferric chloride (tannins) [19], then each extract was analyzed by gas chromatography coupled to GC/MS mass for identification of the main components of its chemical composition [11].…”

“…The total running time was 60 min. The mass spectra were recorded in the SCAN mode in a range from 30 to 400 m/z using electron ionization energy at 70 eV and the detector temperature was set to 150 • C [11]. The GC-MS structure analysis was performed using the National Institute Standard and Technology (NIST) database; in addition, the results were compared with results from previous studies available in the literature [20,21].…”

The In Vitro α-Glucosidase Inhibition Activity of Various Solvent Fractions of Tamarix dioica and 1H-NMR Based Metabolite Identification and Molecular Docking Analysis

“…Studies have shown the efficacy of docking studies to identify the potential amino acid sites in enzyme as potential sites for drug development [40,41]. It was also validated that there might be some variation in the pharmacological properties of plant extracts depending upon the solvent system adopted for extraction [42].…”

The Potential Antioxidant Activity and Characterization of Bioactive Compounds of Stahlianthus involucratus

“…The ethanol extracts of S. involucratus had anti-inflammatory, antinociceptive, and antipyretic activities [ 4 , 5 ]. The extraction of Elettaria cardamomum , Curcuma longa , Zingiber officinale , and Alpinia officinarum had the scavenging activity of the cationic ABTS radical and ferric-reducing antioxidant power-FRAP [ 6 ]. The standardized extraction from the rhizomes of ginger defended a rat liver from cancer by decreasing oxidative and inflammatory injury [ 7 ].…”