Optimization of an Ultrasound-Assisted Extraction Method for the Analysis of Major Anthocyanin Content in <i>Erica australis</i> Flowers

oleh: Ceferino Carrera, María José Aliaño-González, Jaime Rodríguez-López, Marta Ferreiro-González, Fernando Ojeda-Copete, Gerardo F. Barbero, Miguel Palma

Format: Article
Diterbitkan: MDPI AG 2021-05-01

Deskripsi

<i>Erica australis</i> plants have been used in infusions and folk medicine for years for its diuretic and antiseptic properties and even for the treatment of infections. In addition, a recently published thorough study on this species has demonstrated its antioxidant, antibiotic, anti-inflammatory, anticarcinogenic and even antitumoral activities. These properties have been associated with the high content of anthocyanins in <i>E. australis</i> leaves and flowers. The aim of the present research is to optimize an ultrasound-assisted extraction methodology for the recovery of the anthocyanins present in <i>E. australis</i> flowers. For that purpose, a Box Behnken design with response surface methodology was employed, and the influence of four variables at different values was determined: namely, the composition of the extraction solvents (0–50% MeOH in water), the pH level of those solvents (3–7), the extraction temperature (10–70 °C), and the sample:solvent ratio (0.5 g:10 mL–0.5 g:20 mL). UHPLC-UV-vis has been employed to quantify the two major anthocyanins detected in the samples. The extraction optimum conditions for 0.5 g samples were: 20 mL of solvent (50% MeOH:H<sub>2</sub>O) at 5 pH, with a 15 min extraction time at 70 °C. A precision study was performed and the intra-day and inter-day relative standard deviations (RSDs) obtained were 3.31% and 3.52%, respectively. The developed methodology has been successfully applied to other <i>Erica</i> species to validate the suitability of the method for anthocyanin extraction.