Sono-oscillatory mobilisation of bound precarthamine from flower florets of dyer's saffron

Abstract

Floral pastes of dyer's saffron ( Carthamus tinctorius L.) were subjected to machinery vibration by an ultrasonicator in the presence of α- or β-glucosidase and the rate of precarthamine release was examined spectrophotometrically. On sono-oscillating the pastes at 450 kHz for 10 min at 25 ± 1 °C, the release of bound precarthamine was promoted by 19.9% in the presence of α-glucosidase. The supersound effect on the precarthamine release by β-glucosidase was also pronounced, showing a net increment rate of 20.3% on average. The usefulness of supersonic oscillation for obtaining oxygen-labile and pH-sensitive precarthamine was assessed on the basis of the experimental results.