A Simple and Rapid Extraction Method of Carbohydrates from Petals or Sepals of Four Floricultural Plants for Determination of Their Content

Abstract

We developed a simple and rapid extraction method of soluble carbohydrates from petals for analysis by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), using a centrifugal filter device in a test tube without homogenization. Rose ‘Sonia’ petals were immersed in 99.5% ethanol solution in a test tube and kept at 75°C for 20 min. Sorbitol was then added to the solution as an internal standard, and the petals were transferred to the centrifugal filter device and centrifuged at 12000 × g for 10 min. Following removal of the filtrate, 99.5% ethanol was added to the filter device and a second round of centrifugation performed. Filtrated solution obtained from both centrifugations was combined with the ethanol solution remaining in the test tube, heated to dryness at 80°C, and used for HPLC analysis. Few differences in soluble carbohydrate content were observed between the new method and a conventional method in which soluble carbohydrates are extracted by homogenization. We confirmed that most carbohydrate was extracted by the new method. Moreover, the soluble carbohydrate content of samples extracted from ‘Sonia’ petals using the new method did not change during one week of storage at −30°C, indicating the stability of the samples. Marked differences in soluble carbohydrate content were not observed among ‘Chanel’, ‘New Bridal’, ‘Rote Rose’, or ‘Saturn’ rose petals, carnations or Tweedia caerulea petals or Delphinium sepals, using either the new or conventional method. Marked differences in soluble carbohydrate content were also not observed among leaves and stems in carnations, Delphinium or rose ‘Sonia’ using either the new or conventional method. These results suggest that the new method, which does not require homogenization, appears to be a more simple and rapid method of extraction of soluble carbohydrates from various organs of floricultural plants.