JOURNAL OF NANJING FORESTRY UNIVERSITY ›› 2024, Vol. 48 ›› Issue (3): 245-256.doi: 10.12302/j.issn.1000-2006.202306002

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Steam explosion impact on the active ingredients, antioxidant activity and aroma components of the aqueous extract from Eucommia ulmoides leaves

ZHOU Yunfei1,2(), DU Qingxin1,3, WANG Zhiyong1,3, WANG Lu1,3, WANG Yan1,3, LIU Panfeng1,3, SUN Zhiqiang1,3,*()   

  1. 1. Research Institute of Non-timber Forestry, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Zhengzhou 450003, China
    2. College of Forestry and Grassland, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China
    3. Key Laboratory of Non-timber Forest Germplasm Enhancement & Utilization of State Forestry and Grassland Administration, Eucommia Engineering Research Center of State Forestry and Grassland Administration, Zhengzhou 450003, China
  • Received:2023-06-03 Revised:2023-08-10 Online:2024-05-30 Published:2024-06-14

Abstract:

【Objective】 To evaluate the feasibility of manufacturing Eucommia ulmoides leaf tea via steam explosion (SE), the changes of active ingredients, antioxidant activity and aroma components were compared between tea produced using E. ulmoides mature leaves with and without an SE. 【Method】 Treatments based on physically rolling or not rolling the leaves were applied using E. ulmoides ‘Huazhong 8’ and ‘Huazhong 12’ mature leaves. A two-factor, three-level complete experimental design was used to determine the optimal SE parameters according to the contents of total flavonoids, polyphenols and polysaccharides, which were determined by UV spectroscopy. The active ingredients were detected by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The antioxidant activity of the samples was assessed using 1,1-diphenyl-2-trinitrophenylhydrazine (DPPH) and 2,2'-diazo-di(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) diamine salt (ABTS) radical scavenging assays. Additionally, the correlation between the active ingredients of the samples and antioxidant activity was analyzed. The aroma components were determined by headspace solid-phase microextraction/gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (HS-SPME/GC-MS). 【Result】 The optimal SE parameters were a pressure of 0.45 MPa and retention time of 300 s. Under these conditions, the total flavonoid and polyphenol contents of ‘Huazhong 8’ and ‘Huazhong 12’ were increased by 10.87 and 21.51, and 1.14 and 0.87-fold compared with the control, respectively. The contents of six active ingredients increased significantly (P < 0.01), with chlorogenic acid and gallic acid increased by 31.31% and 30.72%, respectively and methyl ester increased by 10.41 and 8.06-fold in non-twisted ‘Huazhong 8’ and twisted ‘Huazhong 12’ compared with the control, respectively. Overall, the antioxidant activity of mature E. ulmoides leaves was enhanced significantly with an SE, in which the antioxidant activity of non-twisted ‘Huazhong 8’ was greater than that of twisted ‘Huazhong 12’. The half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) was negatively correlated with the contents of kynurenine, carnoside, and chlorogenic acid (P<0.05). Aromatic substances such as benzyl alcohol and β-cyclocitral were generated from the volatile compounds. 【Conclusion】 An SE treatment significantly improved the water solubility and antioxidant activity of the active ingredients of the aqueous extract of mature E. ulmoides leaves, with an increase in the type and content of aromatic substances. Because the resource availability of green-leaved E. ulmoides is much greater than that of red-leaved E. ulmoides at present, our results suggest that mature E. ulmoides leaves without a physical twisting treatment prior to an SE would result in a simplified tea-making process and effectively reduce the production cost of E. ulmoides green leaf tea, providing novel ideas for the large-scale processing and utilization of E. ulmoides leaves.

Key words: Eucommia ulmoides, active ingredients, antioxidant, aroma components, steam explosion

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