ACTA BIOLOGICA CRACOVIENSIA

NUTRITIONAL CAROTENOIDS AND THEIR IMPLICATION IN HUMAN HEALTH
limited information on carotenoids in wild berries we aimed to
determine β-carotene and xanthophylls content in northern berries.
Four berry species (Rubus chamaemorus, Vaccinium myrtillus,
Vaccinium vitis-idaea, Oxycoccus palustris) were selected for this
study in taiga zone of European North-East of Russia. Samples were
collected in August-September 2010 and transported to laboratory,
where they were quick-freezed and kept at -76°C. Carotenoids in
freeze-dried samples were extracted with acetone. Individual
carotenoids were separated using reversed-phase high-performance
liquid chromatography (HPLC) system (Knauer, Germany), a column
4.0×250 mm Diasphere-110-C18NT. The pigments were eluted
for 34 min with gradient solvent systems A
(acetonitrile:methanol:water, 75:12:4, v/v) and B (methanol:ethyl
acetate, 68:32, v/v) at a flow rate of 2 ml/min. Identification of
carotenoids was carried out by comparing of HPLC retension times
with corresponding standarts. The highest total carotenoids content
among the studied berries was found in cloudberry (2840 μg/100 g
DW) followed by blueberry (2140 μg/100 g). Cranberry and cowberry
had the lowest carotenoid content, accordingly 210 and 150
μg/100 g DW. All berries had β-carotene but this carotenoid prevailed
greatly in cloudberry (82% of total carotenoids content).
Lutein was a principal carotenoid in blueberry (71%). The major
contributors to the total carotenoids content of cranberry were βcarotene
(28%), lutein (23%) and neoxanthin (20%). Not great quantity
of violaxanthin cycle carotenoids (violaxanthin, antheraxanthin
and zeaxanthin) were identified in all berries and cloudberry sepals.
It was established that the carotenoid HPLC profiles of the
extracts from cloudberry are complex, because the naturally occurring
carotenoids (lutein, zeaxanthin, and violaxanthin) in these fruits
are esterified with straight chain of fatty acids. Unidentified
carotenoid constituents were presented in the unsaponified extract
of cloudberry. The received results are meant a regional database of
resources with increased nutritional value.
1.17.
Content of carotenoids in roots of seventeen
cultivars of Daucus carota L.
Aleksandra Mech-Nowak1 , Adam Świderski1 ,
Michał Kruczek1 , Irena Łuczak2 , Anna Kostecka-Gugała1 1Department of Biochemistry, University of Agriculture,
al. 29-Listopada 54, 31-425 Kraków, Poland,
aleksandra.mech.nowak@gmail.com, aswider@ogr.ar.krakow.pl,
kruczek.michael@gmail.com, akg@ogr.ar.krakow.pl
2Department of Plant Protection, University of Agriculture,
al. 29-Listopada 54, 31-425 Kraków, Poland,
luczaki@ogr.ar.krakow.pl
The aim of this study was to compare the content of carotenoids in
seventeen cultivars of carrots grown in Poland. We compared conventional
orange cultivars with rarely grown: white, yellow and purple
with creamy core cultivars. Carrots are an important source of
carotenoids (mainly β-carotene) in daily diet. In Poland, the carrot is
grown on a large scale (813 000 tons) and has great economic
importance. New cultivars introduced into crops are not only different
in shapes and colors, but also in the content of bioactive and
important for health compounds including carotenoids.
Seventeen selected cultivars of carrots were grown on plots
at the Experimental Station of Agricultural University in
Mydlniki. For determine the content of carotenoids, extracts
made from lyophilized carrot roots were analyzed by spectrophotometric
as well as HPLC methods with DAD detector. The
highest content of carotenoids was found in cultivars: 'Kazan'
and 'Kongo' (nearly 10 mg/100 g f.w.). We also compared the
antioxidant properties of selected cultivars using the FRAP
method (Benzie and Stain, 1996).
Vol. 53, suppl. 1, 2011
Carotenoids are needed in human diet as provitamin A. It is
less known that they significantly contribute to the protection of
membrane lipids as important antioxidants soluble in fats.
Carotenoids as antioxidant compounds reduce the risk of chronic
diseases (cardiovascular diseases, cancer ect.) (Krinsky and
Yeum, 2003, Stahl and Sies, 2003). Identifying the Daucus carota
L. cultivars with the highest carotenoid content in roots will
make it possible to recommend them for cultivation, especially
for farms specializing in production of preserves with high
carotenoid content and contribute to further selection of new cultivars
in horticultural breeding.
This work was supported by the Ministry of Science and Higher
Education, grant no NN 312 252 536.
REFERENCES
BENZIE IFF and STRAIN JJ. 1996. The ferric reducing of plasma (FRAP)
as a measure of "antioxidant power": the FRAP assay. Analytical
Biochemistry 239: 70-76.
KRINSKY NI and YEUM KJ. 2003. Carotenoid-radical interactions.
Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 305: 754-760.
STAHL W and SIES H. 2003. Antioxidant activity of carotenoids.
Molecular Aspects of Medicine 24: 345-351.
1.18.
17–22 July 2011, Krakow, Poland
Carotenoid composition and in vitro
pharmacological activity of rose hips
Péter Molnár 1 , Györgyi Horváth 1 , Erika Turcsi 2 ,
József Deli2 , Masami Kavase 3 , Kazue Satoh 4 , Toru Tanaka 5 ,
Satoru Tani 5 , Hiroshi Sakagami 6 , Nóra Gyémánt 7 ,
József Molnár 7
1 Department of Pharmacognosy, University of Pécs, Medical
School, Rókus u. 2, H-7624 Pécs, Hungary,
peter.molnar@aok.pte.hu, gyorgyi.horvath@aok.pte.hu
2 Department of Biochemistry and Medical Chemistry, University of
Pécs, Szigeti út 12, H-7624 Pécs, Hungary,
erika.turcsi@aok.pte.hu, jozsef.deli@aok.pte.hu
3 Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Matsuyama University,
Matsuyama, Ehime 790-7098, Japan,
kawase@cc.matsuyama-u.ac.jp
4 School of Medicine, Showa University, Shinagawa, Tokyo 142-
8555, Japan, kazue-sth@med.showa-u.ac.jp
5 Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Josai University, Sakado,
Saitama 350-0295, Japan, tanakato@josai.ac.jp,
tanisato@josai.ac.jp
6 Department of Dental Pharmacology, Meikai University School of
Dentistry, Sakado, Saitama 350-0283, Japan,
sakagami@dent.meikai.ac.jp
7 Faculty of Medicine, Institute of Medical Microbiology, Albert
Szent-Györgyi Medical Centrum, University of Szeged, Dóm tér 10,
H-6720 Szeged, Hungary, molnarj@comser.szote.u-szeged.hu
The aim of the present study was to compare flower carotenoid
extracts with regard to their phytochemical profiles and their in
vitro anti-Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori), cytotoxic, multidrug
resistance (MDR) reversal and radical scavenging activity.
Carotenoid composition was investigated in the different fractionation
of rose hips, using extraction methods. Six main
carotenoids – epimers of neochrome, lutein, zeaxanthin, rubixanthin,
lycopene, β, β-carotene – were identified from Rose hips by
their chromatographic behavior and UV-visible spectra, which is
in accordance with other studies on carotenoids in this plant
material. The active principles in the carotenoid extract might differ,
depending upon the extraction procedures.
This study, on the part of the Hungarian authors was supported by the
grants Szeged Foundation for Cancer Research and OTKA K 76176,
OTKA K 83898 (Hungarian Scientific Research Fund) and PTE ÁOK KA-
34039-35/2009.
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