Biomaterial Database

Retention of alkamides in dried Echinacea purpurea. 2000

H O Kim, and T D Durance, and C H Scaman, and D D Kitts

Food, Nutrition and Health, University of British Columbia, 6650 NW Marine Drive, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

Different drying methods, such as freeze-drying (FD), vacuum microwave drying (VMD), and air-drying (AD), were applied to fresh roots and leaves of Canadian-grown Echinacea purpurea to determine the optimal method for preserving alkamide levels. Using HPLC, six alkamide fractions (alkamides 1, 2, 3, 6a/6, 7, 8/9) were quantitated in dried roots, whereas four alkamide fractions (alkamides 1, 2, 3, 8/9) were measured in dried leaves. Different elution conditions used in HPLC for alkamide analysis did not affect the eluted fractions nor the quantitation of different alkamides. Individual alkamide concentrations in roots and leaves were affected by the drying methods used. To preserve higher levels of total alkamides, FD was found to be the best method, VMD was a superior method for drying roots than AD at 70 degrees C, while AD at 50 degrees C was the preferred method for drying leaves of E. purpurea.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D010946	Plants, Medicinal	Plants whose roots, leaves, seeds, bark, or other constituent parts possess therapeutic, tonic, purgative, curative or other pharmacologic attributes, when administered to man or animals.	Herbs, Medicinal,Medicinal Herbs,Healing Plants,Medicinal Plants,Pharmaceutical Plants,Healing Plant,Herb, Medicinal,Medicinal Herb,Medicinal Plant,Pharmaceutical Plant,Plant, Healing,Plant, Medicinal,Plant, Pharmaceutical,Plants, Healing,Plants, Pharmaceutical
D003890	Desiccation	Removal of moisture from a substance (chemical, food, tissue, etc.).	Dessication
D000577	Amides	Organic compounds containing the -CO-NH2 radical. Amides are derived from acids by replacement of -OH by -NH2 or from ammonia by the replacement of H by an acyl group. (From Grant & Hackh's Chemical Dictionary, 5th ed)	Amide
D020900	Echinacea	A genus of perennial herbs used topically and internally. It contains echinacoside, GLYCOSIDES; INULIN; isobutyl amides, resin, and SESQUITERPENES.	Rudbeckia purpurea,Coneflower, Purple,Echinacea angustifolia,Echinacea pallida,Echinacea purpurea,Pale Purple Coneflower,Coneflower, Pale Purple,Coneflowers, Pale Purple,Coneflowers, Purple,Pale Purple Coneflowers,Purple Coneflower,Purple Coneflower, Pale,Purple Coneflowers,Purple Coneflowers, Pale