Extraction and determination of ellagic acid content in chestnut bark and fruit

Veklari, S. A., Gordon, M. H., Garcia-Macias, P. and Labrinea, H. (2008) Extraction and determination of ellagic acid content in chestnut bark and fruit. Food Chemistry, 110 (4). pp. 1007-1011. ISSN 0308-8146 doi: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2008.02.005

Abstract/Summary

Chestnuts are an important economic resource in the chestnut growing regions, not only for the fruit, but also for the wood. The content of ellagic acid (EA), a naturally occurring inhibitor of carcinogenesis, was determined in chestnut fruits and bark. EA was extracted with methanol and free ellagic acid was determined by HPLC with UV detection, both in the crude extract and after hydrolysis. The concentration of EA was generally increased after hydrolysis due to the presence of ellagitannins in the crude extract. The concentration varied between 0.71 and 21.6 ing g(-1) (d.w.) in un-hydrolyzed samples, and between 2.83 and 18.4 mg g(-1) (d.w.) ill hydrolyzed samples. In chestnut fruits, traces of EA were present in the seed, with higher concentrations in the pellicle and pericarp. However, all fruit tissues had lower concentrations of EA than had the bark. The concentration of EA in the hydrolyzed samples showed a non-linear correlation with the concentration in the unhydrolyzed extracts. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.