Acta Scientiarum Polonorum Technologia Alimentaria

Background. Eryngium foetidum L. grows in the wet zone of Sri Lanka. Despite the fact that this plant is widely used for healthcare purposes and as a culinary spice in tropical regions, limited scientific research has been available. This study aimed to investigate phytoconstituents, essential oil (EO), antioxidative potential (AP), and proximate composition, as well as find a suitable extracting solvent to extract potential constituents using the HPLC-PDA application in order to transform leaves into functional foods as an extended study.
Materials and methods. The chemical constituents of the EO in the leaves were identified using the GC-MS analysis after extraction via hydro-distillation. Phytoconstituents of leaves were extracted into five different solvents via maceration with methanol, ethanol, water, acetone, and acetonitrile. Analytical HPLC was applied to compare the phytochemical profile under each solvent. Chemical analysis was used to reveal phytoconstituents in methanolic extract using standard methods. DPPH and FRAP assays were employed to determine AP of EO and the methanolic extract.
Results. About 43 compounds were identified in the EO, showing 2-dodecenal (13.7%) and 2,4,5-trimethylbenzaldehyde (13.1%) as major ones. Cyclopropane, nonyl-, butylated hydroxytoluene, octadecane, hexacosane, and tetracosane were found in the EO of E. foetidum leaves for the first time. The HPLC chemical profiling revealed that methanol is a better solvent for extracting optimum phytochemicals compared to other solvents. The AP of the EO has been proven to be 118.16 ±1.32 μL Trolox Eq/L for FRAP, whereas the value of 95.74 ±3.47 mg Trolox Eq/g was shown for methanolic extract of leaves. The saponin level was greater (387.40 ±0.41 mg SE/g) in the solvent extract out of all other phytochemicals, and the leaves showed acceptable proximate compositions.
Conclusion. To conclude, the solvent used has an influence on extractable phytochemicals and the technique of HPLC showed a promising method for phytochemical profiling. This is the first detailed study of EO and solvent extract of leaves of E. foetidum, and the finding of this study would be helpful pharmacological applications and be beneficial for functional food development.