Variazioni dell'olio essenziale di <i>Citrus grandis</i> L. x <i>Citrus paradisi</i> macf. a differenti stadi di maturazione

Nel presente lavoro ci siamo interessati agli oli essenziali della cultivar Oroblanco che ha avuto origine nel 1958 da un incrocio tra un pummelo ed un pompelmo bianco. I frutti delle cultivar più precoci vengono commercializzati con il nome di Sweetie mentre le cultivar tardive come Golden Sweetie

Isolamento ed analisi di molecole bioattive da estratti di <i>Pistacia Terebinthus L.</i> vegetante in Sardegna

Il genere Pistacia (Anacardiacee) include P. Terebinthus, piccolo albero a foglie decidue presente in Sardegna solo in una ristretta area calcarea della costa est, Cala Gonone (NU). Le specie del genere Pistacia hanno un largo uso in etnobotanica; venivano usati come antiinfiammatori, antibatterici, nel trattamento dell’eczema. Questo ci ha portato a pensare, anche in base alla letteratura presente, che nelle piante appartenenti a questo genere ci siano delle molecole particolarmente importanti dal punto di vista farmaceutico. Partendo dalle osservazioni di etnobotanica abbiamo voluto investigare la composizione chimica di questa specie con lo scopo di trovare, eventualmente, dei nuovi nutraceutici

Influence of different drying parameters on the composition of volatile compounds of thyme and rosemary cultivated in Sardinia

The shelf life of spices is traditionally extended by drying. Fresh herbs, due to their high water content, undergo microorganism growth and adverse biochemical reactions. On the other hand drying may result in a lot of physical and chemical alterations. Air and oven-dehydration are the main methods used to stabilize spices. During oven drying, in general, losses of volatile compounds are directly dependent on the temperature and time used. This paper deals with the effect of different drying temperatures and air fluxes on the volatiles in rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis L.) and thyme (Thymus officinalis L.) cultivated in Sardinia. Fresh leaves were collected and soon divided in two batches, which were subjected to hydro distillation and GC-MS analysis, the first batch as fresh, the second one after drying in a laboratory pilot dryer. Three drying temperatures were used, 30, 38 and 45°C, and for each one two airflow rates were set. The fresh and dried plant material were hydro distilled for 4 hours using a Clevenger-type apparatus (Italian Official Pharmacopeias X). The oils (liquid and light yellow) were recovered directly from above the distillate without adding any solvent and stored at –20°C before analyses, which were carried out on two replicates of each sample by gas chromatography, using a flame ionization detector. The diluted samples were injected using a split/splitless automatic injector (using 2,6-dimethylphenol as internal standard). Qualitative analysis was done by GC/Mass and mass units were monitored from 10 to 450 at 70 eV. Results of the influence of the different drying conditions on volatile compounds of the two herbs will be reported

Relationship Between Soil and Essential Oil Profiles in Salvia desoleana Populations: Preliminary Results.

Salvia desoleana is a herbaceous perennial shrub endemic of Sardinia (Italy). The leaves are a source of essential oil, used in pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries. The therapeutic function of this species has been associated to the presence of essential oils rich in α/β-pinene, p-cimene, linalool, linalyl acetate and 1,8-cineole. Today the industrial request of Salvia essential oils is increasing and most of the biomass is exploited from the natural populations which are under severe risk of genetic erosion. In order to improve the essential oil production, the study of the environmental parameters that influence composition, quality and quantity of the essential oils, turns out to be necessary. Soil physical and chemical structure represents one of the determinant factors in secondary metabolites production, and could also be involved in volatiles fraction composition in the same species. The main aim of this research was to explore the relationship between essential oil profiles and soil characteristics in S. desoleana populations. GC/MS analysis performed on the essential oil extracts identified 22 principal compounds, which were extremely variable among the five S. desoleana populations studied. The analysis of the essential oils revealed different compositions in the terpenes fractions: 68.2% of monoterpenes, 27.3% of sesquiterpenes and 4.5% of diterpenes. Analysis of chemical and physical soil parameters at the collection sites revealed that silt and sand contents were correlated with α-pinene and sclareol fractions and the total K2O was significantly correlated to several compounds belonging to the three terpene fractions identified. These results will provide guidelines for the in site conservation and for the improvement of the commercial value of the species

Profiling of the Bioactive Compounds in Flowers, Leaves and Roots of Vinca sardoa

Vinca sardoa (Stern) Pignatti (Apocynaceae) is largely distributed in Sardinia where it is considered a typical endemism. Since the plant is used in traditional folk medicine, the aim of the present work was to identify and quantify the polyphenolic metabolites, due to the well-known importance of polyphenolic compounds, as well as to evaluate antioxidant activity in different parts of the plant. The compounds were identified and determined in the methanol extracts of leaves, flowers, and roots by developing different LC-MS/MS methods. The obtained data show that leaves possess the highest amount of polyphenols, in particular quinic acid (3401 mg/100 g), chlorogenic acid (1082 mg/100 g), caffeoylquinic acid isomer 1 (190 mg/100 g), and robinin (633 mg/100 g). Likewise, antioxidant tests showed that leaves possess the main radical scavenging activities in both ABTS (49.19 ± 3.41 μg/mL, 30.88 ± 3.04 μg/mL at time zero and after 50 min, respectively) and DPPH assays (223.97 ± 30.81 μg/mL, 109.52 ± 12.89 μg/mL at time zero and after 30 min, respectively). Taking into account that leaves differed most from flowers and roots in the content of caffeoylquinic acid and chlorogenic acid, of which antioxidant properties are widely recognized, it is reasonable to assume that these two compounds are involved in the differences described. The relationship between the high polyphenolic content and interesting antioxidant activities, justifies its use in ethnobotany and may be suggest a use of this specie, after removal of the alkaloid fraction, in the pharmaceutical, phytotherapy, and cosmetic industries

Influence of different stabilizing operations and storage time on the composition of essential oil of thyme (Thymus officinalis L.) and rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis L.)

Abstract The effect of different stabilizing techniques on the composition of essential oil of rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis L.) and thyme (Thymus officinalis L.) during one year of storage is reported. The study was aimed to know what is the stabilizing technique to keep at the best the original essential oil composition. The fresh samples were collected and treated as follows: air-dried in a laboratory scale pilot dryer, frozen in a forced-air freezer and freeze-dried in a laboratory freeze-dryer. The fresh sample served as control. The treated samples were packaged with appropriate packaging material and stored at 20 °C or −20 °C for 12 months. All the samples were hydrodistilled every three months and the oils composition was obtained by means of gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). Quantification of known compounds was done with the use of an internal standard. Freezing best maintained the composition of rosemary and thyme essential oil. Appropriate packaging of air-dried and freeze-dried herbs resulted in negligible quality loss up to one year of storage. The frozen and stored thyme samples showed the best retention of thymol, the most important compound, as well as of γ-terpinene and carvacrol

Caratterizzazione della taspina ed attività su cute umana coltivata di "sangre de grado" (<i>Croton lechleri</i> Müll. Arg.)

Tra le piante peruviane più interessanti per la loro azione antivirale ed immunomodulante spicca Croton lechleri (sangre de grado o de drago) al quale si attribuiscono effetti antinfiammatori, immunomodulatori ed antivirali che la rendono un candidato ideale per studi più approfonditi. Poiché Croton lechleri è una pianta da secoli conosciuta dalla popolazione peruviana come riparatore di ferite e disinfettante, abbiamo ritenuto interessante quantificare e caratterizzare la sostanza che viene considerata come la più importante per l’attività di questi estratti: la taspina

Analisi fitochimica e attività biologica in vitro di <i>Minthostachys setosa</i> (Biq. Epling.)

Il nostro studio si è basato sulla caratterizzazione fitochimica dell’olio essenziale e dei vari estratti ottenibili dalla Minthostachys setosa non trascurando la loro attività antibatterica e antifunginea sia su patogeni umani che vegetali per trovare conferma scientifica dell’uso fatto dalle popolazioni andine sia come antisettico sia come conservante di derrate alimentari

Influence of storage time on the composition of volatile compounds of air dried, frozen and freeze dried thyme and rosemary cultivated in Sardinia

This paper deals with the effect of different stabilizing techniques on the evolution of the volatiles in rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis L.) and thyme (Thymus officinalis L.) cultivated in Sardinia during nine months of storage. Fresh leaves were collected and soon divided in four batches, which were subjected to hydro distillation and GC-MS analysis, the first batch as fresh, the second one after drying in a laboratory pilot dryer, the third after freezing in a forced air freezer and the fourth after freeze drying in a laboratory freeze dryer. AlI the samples were adequately packaged and stored. Samples for analysis were taken at 3 months intervals. The fresh, stabilised and stored plant material were hydro distilled for 4 hours using a Clevenger-type. The oils were analysed in duplicate by gas chromatography, using a flame ionization detector. Qualitative analysis was done by GC /Mass and mass units were monitored from 10 to 450 at 70 eV. Results of the evolution of volatile compounds of the differently samples seem to evidence that the best way to stabilize the herbs is freezing

Identification and quantification of glucosinolates in different tissues of Raphanus raphanistrum by liquid chromatography tandem-mass spectrometry

This study aims to identify and quantify the glucosinolates from different parts of wild radish R. raphanistrum (leaves, flowers, fruits, roots) using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Glucoraphenin is the predominant compound, accounting for about 87% (w/w) of total glucosinolate content, followed by glucobrassicin, glucoraphasatin and glucoraphanin (153 mg 100 g−1, 149 mg 100 g−1 and 141 mg 100 g−1 FW, respectively) in fruits; followed by glucoraphasatin (3 mg 100 g−1 FW) in flowers and by glucobrassicin, 4-hydroxyglucobrassicin and glucoraphasatin (145 mg 100 g−1, 27 mg 100 g−1 and 24 mg 100 g−1 FW, respectively) in leaves. In roots the major glucosinolate is glucoraphasatin (56 mg 100 g−1 FW) followed by the glucoraphenin and methoxyglucobrassicin (16 mg 100 g−1 and 7 mg 100 g−1 FW, respectively). Principal component analysis allowed the discrimination of fruit samples from other parts of the plant for the majority of glucosinolates and the fruits are highlighted as sources of glucosinolates. The results are interesting given that wild radish is one of the most important weeds of crops in the Mediterranean region and is popular for home vegetable production and for its employment in human nutrition both as a food as well as for medicinal purposes