The rapid detection of antioxidants from safflower seeds (Carthamus tinctorius L.) using hyphenated-HPLC techniques

Abstract

Hyphenated-HPLC techniques combine the separation power of HPLC with the structural and bioactivity information provided by NMR, ESI/MS, and an on-line antioxidant screening system. The major advantages over the traditional off-line techniques are rapidity and efficiency. In this study, we used hyphenated HPLC techniques including online HPLC-ABTS, LC-NMR, and LC-MS todirectly identify the major antioxidants of safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.) seeds. The results demonstrated that the major antioxidant compounds from on-line HPLC-ABTS analysis were identified as 8′-hydroxyarcgenin-4′-O-β-D- glucoside, N-(p-coumaroyl) serotonin, and N-feruloylserotonin. Among them, N-feruloylserotonin accounted for almost 50% of the ABTS radical scavenging activity of the total extract. The results demonstrate that HPLC hyphenated techniques can be used to rapidly screen and structurally identify antioxidants from crude plant extracts. ？ The Korean Society of Food Science and Technology.