Isolation and Characterization of Anthocyanins from Hibiscus sabdariffa Flowers

J Nat Prod. 2016 Jul 22;79(7):1709-18. doi: 10.1021/acs.jnatprod.5b00958. Epub 2016 Jun 17.

Abstract

The intense red-colored Hibiscus sabdariffa flowers are an inexpensive source of anthocyanins with potential to be used as natural, innocuous, and health-beneficial colorants. An anthocyanin-rich extract from hibiscus flowers was obtained by ultrasound-assisted extraction. By a single-step process fractionation using a Sep-Pak C18 cartridge, the main hibiscus anthocyanins, delphinidin-3-O-sambubioside (Dp-samb) and cyanidin-3-O-sambubioside (Cy-samb), were separated and then characterized via NMR and HPLC-ESIMS data. Since Dp-samb was the most abundant anthocyanin identified in the extract, its colorant properties were studied by the pH jumps method, which allowed the calculation of the single acid-base equilibrium (pK'a 2.92), the acidity (pKa 3.70), and the hydration constants (pKh 3.02). Moreover, by using size-exclusion chromatography, new cyanidin-derived anthocyanins (with three or more sugar units) were successfully identified and reported for the first time in the hibiscus extract.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Anthocyanins / chemistry
  • Anthocyanins / isolation & purification*
  • Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid
  • Flowers / chemistry
  • Hibiscus / chemistry*
  • Molecular Structure
  • Silicon Dioxide

Substances

  • Anthocyanins
  • delphinidin 3-sambubioside
  • Silicon Dioxide
  • octadecyl silane-bonded silica
  • cyanidin