An evaluation of volatiles and phenolic compounds in conjunction with the antioxidant capacity of endemic endangered species of Erodium hendrikii Alpinar

OpenAlex İngilizce

This study considers the chemical composition of an endemic endangered Erodium species (E. hendrikii), which grows naturally in the Turkish flora. The non-polar compounds and fatty acids from air-dried above-ground parts of the plant were analyzed using GC–MS, while phenolic acids and flavonoids were evaluated using UHPLC-MS/MS. Palmitic acid (5.23 mg/g dw) followed by linoleic acid (3.81 mg/g dw) were the major fatty acids, and n-hexadecanal (60.75%, dw) followed by n-tetradecanal (12.99%, dw) were the main non-polar compounds identified in the plant. The major phenolic acids (nmol/g dw) in the plant were protocatechuic acid (90.07) in free, ferulic acid (430.90) in ester, gallic acid (2450.51) in glycoside, and ester-bound (527.05) forms. The crude extract was represented by the highest caffeic acid (3189.56) content. In addition, hesperidin (259.56 nmol/g dw) was determined as the major flavonoid in the crude extract. This crude extract was further fractioned via solid-phase extraction and its three further partial fractions were obtained using water, ethyl acetate, and methanol. The methanol fraction yielded the highest antioxidant capacity among the fractions. A strong correlation and linear regression were determined between the phenolic contents and antioxidant capacity values of the crude extract and the three further partial fractions of the plant. These findings represent the first data concerning the phytochemical composition of E. hendrikii Alpinar and may be useful in the future development of antioxidant and antimicrobial agents for food preservatives against problems of food deterioration.