Polyphenols and Triterpenes from Chaenomeles Fruits: Chemical Analysis and Antioxidant Activities Assessment. Food Chemistry,2013, doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.foodchem.2013.06.109
Polyphenols and Triterpenes fromChaenomelesFruits: Chemical Analysis and Antioxidant Activities Assessment
Hui Du,Jie Wu,Hui Li,Pei-Xing Zhong,Yan-Jun Xu,Chong-Hui Li,Kui-Xian Ji,Liang-Sheng Wang
Abstract:
Mugua, fruit of the genus Chaenomeles, is a valuable source of health food and Chinese medicine. To elucidate the bioactive compounds of five wild Chaenomeles species, extracts from fresh fruits were investigated by HPLC-DAD/ESI-MS/MS. Among the 24 polyphenol compounds obtained, 20 were flavan-3-ols (including catechin, epicatechin and procyanidin oligomers). The mean polymerization degree (mDP) of procyanidins was examined by two acid-catelyzed cleavage reactions; the mDP value was the highest in C. sinensis and the lowest in C. japonica. Total polyphenol content (TPC) reached 46.92 and 46.28 mg/g gallic acid equivalents (GAE) in C. speciosa and C. thibetica, respectively, although their main bioactive compounds were different (being epicatechin and procyanidin B2 in the former, and catechin and procyanidin B1 in the latter). These two species also exhibited equally strong free radical scavenging activities. Our results further showed that the antioxidant ability of Chaenomeles fruits was significantly correlated to their total polyphenol contents. Two triterpenes (oleanolic acid and ursolic acid) were the highest quantity in C. cathayensis and C. thibetica, respectively.