Lignans are a group of naturally occurring plant polyphenols that play a role in plant defence and growth regulation. Plants with a high content of lignans, due to their antioxidant properties, represent an important group for the development of new therapeutic and cosmetically active substances. The extract from the woody parts of the white fir (Abies alba Mill.) has a high content of lignans, which are currently being researched for their bioactivity. They are being extracted, among other methods, with subcritical water, which is as well one of the techniques used for obtaining the investigated extract. Fluids in the sub- and supercritical state are intensively researched today to obtain natural compounds in an environmentally friendly process, as the interest in natural compounds and sustainable approaches has increased due to increased consumer awareness.
The purpose of the master’s thesis was to evaluate the antioxidant properties of Belinal® white fir branch extract and the laboratory-produced extract obtained with subcritical water, which were incorporated into an emulsion and hydrogel, and then stored at 5 °C, 25 °C and 40 °C over a period of six months. To determine the antioxidant capacity, we used the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) test, and to characterize the chemical composition, we monitored changes in the concentration of secoisolariciresinol and isolariciresinol, which are the main lignans of white fir extracts, using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The extract obtained with subcritical water had a lower antioxidant activity than Belinal®, both incorporated in an emulsion (EC50 = 0,0616 μM) as well in the hydrogel (EC50 = 0,0479 μM), in all the studied conditions. The antioxidant activity of the emulsion with Belinal® was the highest (EC50 = 0,0369 μM), also compared to hydrogel (EC50 = 0,0397 μM). The extract with subcritical water also had a lower concentration of the monitored lignans. The concentration did not decrease with time significantly, for any of the incorporated extracts, which proves their good antioxidant stability in the tested systems over time at different temperatures.
Based on the obtained results, we conclude that Belinal® has better antioxidant properties than the extract obtained with subcritical water, while at the same time, they both show good oxidative stability under the studied conditions.
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