Page 68 - Book of Abstracts

5 International Scientific Online Conference DOI: https://doi.org/10.15414/2021.9788055224015

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MAHONIA AQUIFOLIUM (PURSH) NUTT. AS A SOURCE OF NUTRITIONAL AND
PHYTOCHEMICAL COMPOUNDS
1
2
Raisa Ivanova , Igor Casian
1 Institute of Genetics, Physiology and Plant Protection, Chisinau, Republic of Moldova;
E-mail.: ivanova_raisa@yahoo.com
2 Scientific Centre for Medicines, "Nicolae Testemitanu" State University of Medicine and Pharmacy,
Chisinau, Republic of Moldova

Mahonia aquifolium (Pursh) Nutt. is an evergreen shrub harvested from the wild in China
and North America for local use as food and medicine. All parts of this plant could be utilized
that are predetermined by phytochemical constituents. The leaves, the bark of the stem, and
roots as popular remedy in modern herbalism; the leaves and berries as a source of green,
violet, and dark blue-purple dyes; flowers are eaten. Mahonia berries are consumed in fresh
and dried forms in jams, beverages, and confections; oil from seeds is rich in γ-tocotrienol,
omega-6, and omega-3. However, in the Republic of Moldova, the Mahonia aquifolium is used
only as an ornamental plant. In this regard, the purpose of the study was to analyze some
phytochemical constituents of mahonia berries and determine their nutritional value as
antioxidants.
The frozen berries were homogenized with a 70 % hydroalcoholic solution in a ratio of
1:2, centrifuged, and filtered through a paper filter. The total phenolic content was determined
by the Folin-Chocalteu procedure. The individual phenolic constituents were analyzed by the
HPLC method using a DAD detector in the range of 200–600 nm. Standard substances are
detected at the following wavelengths: 280 nm – gallic acid and (+) catechin; 328 nm –
chlorogenic acid; 360 nm – rutin, 528 nm – cyanidin chloride. The radical scavenging activity
(RSA) was a taste in vitro by a potentiometric method using 2,2'-azobis (2-amidinopropane)
dihydrochloride as a generator of free peroxyl radicals. The RSA evaluation of standard
substances was carried out according to the concentration values, which scavenged 50 % of free
radicals (IC50, mg/L). The RSA of berries extracts was expressed as vitamin C equivalent
antioxidant capacity (VCEAC, µMol/g).
Mahonia berries extracts contained in dry residue 3.55–5.39 % of polyphenolic
substances, which predetermined their RSA. Experimentally, a significant direct correlation
was found between the total phenolic content and RSA of tested berries extracts; Pearson's
coefficient of correlation was equal to 0.8723. VCEAC indexes of Mahonia berries extracts varied
in limits from 36.07 to 70.52 µMol/g of dry residue. The content (mg/L) of individual
constituents in extracts of Mahonia berries can be shown as follows: chlorogenic acid (203.0) ˃
anthocyanins, recalculated by cyanidin chloride (190.5) ˃ rutin (168.0) ˃ quercetin (47.1) ˃
catechin (17.5) ˃ hydroxycinnamic acids (17.0) ˃ derivatives of gallic acid (8.35).
Putting forward the hypothesis that individual constituents of the extracts, such as
chlorogenic acid or cyanidin chloride, have the same RSA in the extract composition as in their
pure form, we tried to evaluate the contribution of each constituent to the RSA of extracts. It
was determined that the standard substances scavenged 50 % of free radicals at the
concentrations: gallic acid – 6.88 ±0.48 mg/L, quercetin – 13.66 ±0.33 mg/L, (+) catechin –
14.18 ±0.76 mg/L, cyanidin chloride – 23.83 ±1.04 mg/L, chlorogenic acid – 23.88 ±0.48 mg/L,
rutin – 118.45 ±2.97 mg/L. The most important antioxidants in Mahonia berries were
chlorogenic acid and anthocyanins, their contribution to the total RSA of extracts was 34.67 and
32.60 %, respectively. Thus, Mahonia berries can be consumed as a functional food due to the
high content of antioxidant constituents, especially anthocyanins, which are also natural dyes.

Keywords: Mahonia aquifolium, berry, extract, phenolic constituent, antioxidant activity.

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5 International Scientific Conference Agrobiodiversity for Improving the Nutrition, Health, Quality of Life and |67
Spiritual Human Development
November 3 2021
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