Molecules, Vol. 27, Pages 2279: Red Horse Chestnut and Horse Chestnut Flowers and Leaves: A Potential and Powerful Source of Polyphenols with High Antioxidant Capacity

Molecules, Vol. 27, Pages 2279: Red Horse Chestnut and Horse Chestnut Flowers and Leaves: A Potential and Powerful Source of Polyphenols with High Antioxidant Capacity Molecules doi: 10.3390/molecules27072279 Authors: Agnieszka Monika Bielarska Jakub Wojciech Jasek Renata Kazimierczak Ewelina Hallmann Aesculus flowers and leaves are an excellent source of bioactive compounds, including flavanols, phenolic acids, and anthocyanins, and the leaves also contain antioxidant carotenoids and chlorophylls. The aim of this study was to analyse and compare the amounts of bioactive compounds present in Aesculus hippocastanum and Aesculus × carnea flowers and leaves over two years. These two species from six independent locations (parks and green areas) located in Warsaw were assessed in this study. The dry matter by the scale method and polyphenol, carotenoid, and chlorophyll content by the HPLC method of the flowers and leaves was evaluated. Red horse chestnut flowers contained significantly more total carotenoids (40.6 µg/g FW) and chlorophylls (36.9 µg/g FW) than horse chestnut flowers, and red horse chestnut flowers contained higher levels of anthocyanins (5.41 µg/g FW) than other species. We observed that horse chestnut flowers were characterized by a higher total polyphenols concentration (9.45 µg/g FW) compared to red horse chestnut flowers. In addition, the analysis of leaves showed that all qual...
Source: Molecules - Category: Chemistry Authors: Tags: Article Source Type: research