Chromatographic methods to obtain the biomolecules profile of some aromatic plants irradiated with electron beam
Conference Paper
Overview
Overview
abstract
Irradiation is being progressively considered as a versatile and effective
conservation technique [1]. Based on this premise, our research group has been
investigating the effects of different irradiation conditions in several food matrices.
Aromatic plants are among the food products that require suitable conservation
technologies to expand their use [2]. The effects of irradiation on the four species
(Aloysia citrodora, Melissa officinalis, Melittis melissophyllum and Mentha piperita)
studied herein were previously evaluated. In the present study, the same species were
treated with different doses of electron-beam irradiation (0, 1 and 10 kGy) and several
parameters were evaluated. The individual sugars profile was determined by HPLCRI,
fatty acids by GC-FID, organic acids by HPLC-PDA and tocopherols by HPLCfluorescence.
In general, the evaluated parameters remained practically unchanged,
regardless of plant species or the irradiation dose. Regarding the profile of sugars, the
major change was a decrease in the content of disaccharides. The most notable
variations in organic acids were observed in plant species with the highest content in
these molecules, especially the decrease observed in the samples of M. officinalis and
M. melissophyllum. Among the tocopherols, the α and β isoforms were more
susceptible to radiation, while the application of 1 kGy tended to increase the levels of
tocopherols in Aloysia citrodora, while 10 kGy had the same effect on M.
melissophyllum. M. piperita sample showed the highest levels of tocopherols,
regardless of the dose applied. Finally, with regard to the fatty acids content, the
irradiated samples showed higher percentages of monounsaturated fatty acids than
the control samples. In general, analyzing the results taking into account the effects described, it can be concluded that the application of irradiation with electron beam at
doses 1 and 10 kGy is an effective way to retain biomolecules profile of the studied
species.
