A green method for anthocyanin extraction from Clitoria ternatea flowers cultivated in southern Brazil: Characterization, in vivo toxicity, and biological activity
The authors are grateful for the funding by Coordenaç˜ao de Aperfeiçoamento
de Pessoal de Superior - CAPES (Financial Code 001),
Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico - CNPQ
(306378/2015–9), Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado do Rio
Grande do Sul - FAPERGS (17/255100009126), the Southern Electronic
Microscopy Center (CEME-SUL) of the Federal University of Rio Grande
(FURG). The authors are also grateful to the Foundation for Science and
Technology (FCT, Portugal) for financial support to CIMO (UIDB/
00690/2020 and UIDP/00690/2020) and SusTEC (LA/P/0007/2020)
and national funding by FCT, P.I., through the institutional scientific
employment program-contract for L. Barros contract. T. Silveira thanks
the Fundação BPI La Caixa, within project titled ‘AquaeVitae - Água
Termal Como Fonte de Vida e Saúde” - “PROMOVE – O futuro do Interior”
call 2020 for her contract. The authors state that there are no conflicts of interest in the study’s
publication. The research is registered with the Ministry of the Environment
of Brazil, in the National System of Management of Genetic
Heritage and Associated Traditional Knowledge, under number
A937529. We would also like to thank Atlas Assessoria Linguística for
language editing.
This study aimed to develop a green method to obtain an anthocyanin-rich edible extract of Clitoria ternatea
flowers grown in southern Brazil. The extract was characterized by UHPLC-MSn and analyzed for toxicological
potential in an in vivo model, total phenolic content, and biological activities. By using a 23 multivariate design to
study the effects of temperature, acidified solvent, and time on the total anthocyanin content (487.25 mg/g),
total phenolic content (2242.47 mgGAE/g), it was possible to determine the optimal point (45 ◦C, 16 min, and
22.5 mL extraction solution). Thirteen anthocyanins and nine non-anthocyanins were quantified. In vivo toxicity
assay using Galleria mellonella showed a safe concentration when administered up to 2.2 g of extract per body kg.
The extract showed antioxidant activity and antibacterial action against food pathogens, the method proved to
have a low environmental impact, in addition to producing an extract with potential for application in food.
