Abstract
Damask rose is a well-established, abundant source of phytochemicals, as well as economically important essential oil—however, its cultivation is demanding and costly. In this paper, extracts from four raw plant materials—Salvia officinalis, Sambucus nigra, Matricaria chamomilla, Calendula officinalis, known to be rich in phenolic compounds, but also far easier to cultivate—were directly compared to those obtained from Rosa × damascena Mill. By combining diverse extraction methodologies (in a Soxhlet apparatus, ultrawave-assisted and microwave-assisted, using supercritical CO2) and complementary in vitro assays (radical scavenging, iron reducing, Folin–Ciocalteau and Al3+ complexation), it was possible to conveniently approximate and compare the phytochemical portfolios of those diverse plants. By factoring in the crop yields of different species, economically important conclusions can be reached—with pot marigold (C. officinalis) seemingly the most viable substitute for damask rose as a source of phenolics. Fatty acid and microelement analyses were also performed, to further enrich the chemical profiles of plant extracts. The paper also aims to collate and redesign multiple colorimetric assays frequently used while studying plant extracts in vitro, but criticized for their lack of correlation to in vivo activity. We show that they remain a viable tool for direct comparison of extraction methodologies, while highlighting their shortcomings.
Highlights
Damask rose (Rosa × damascena Mill., RD) is one of the best known and most popular sources of phytochemicals
This paper explores the similarities, differences and commercial viability of plants presented above as sources of phytochemical-rich extracts
Determinations performed for the purposes of this study reveal some important deviations, especially when comparing results for C. officinalis extracts obtained by Soxhlet extraction (SOX) and Supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) methods
Summary
Damask rose (Rosa × damascena Mill., RD) is one of the best known and most popular sources of phytochemicals. Gallic acid, syryngic acid, quercetin, kaempferol and epicatechin have been identified in damask rose p etals[2,3] They contain terpenes, glycosides and anthocyanins, carboxylic acids, vitamin C, tannins, and lipid compounds, including polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) and essential oils[4,5]. Petals are usually hand-picked due to their extraordinary delicacy All this makes the damask rose a demanding and difficult plant to cultivate, and rose-derived products remain expensive. For this reason, the aim of this study was to find an alternative source of phenolics and other bioactive compounds among common species of herbaceous plants (in Europe and worldwide), which would be more available and cheaper to grow. C. officinalis can be a source of essential oil, of which approximately 25% is α-cadinol[22]
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