title: Changes in Levels of Phenylethanoid Glycosides, Antioxidant Activity, and Other Quality Traits in Cistanche deserticola Slices by Steam Processing.
abstract: We investigated the effect of steaming time on Cistanche deserticola Y. C. MA slices by analyzing levels of bioactive compounds, antioxidant activity, and weight loss compared with fresh, directly oven-dried, and blanched samples. Fresh samples had extremely low levels of phenylethanoid glycosides and antioxidant activity. Lower levels of weight loss and higher amounts of soluble sugars, polysaccharides, and dilute ethanol-soluble extracts were found when the slices were steamed rather than blanched. Slices steamed for 5 and 7 min contained significantly (p<0.05) higher amounts of acteoside, isoacteoside, and 2'-acetylacteoside than directly oven-dried samples. However, soluble sugars and dilute ethanol-soluble extracts decreased gradually throughout the steaming process. The concentration of polysaccharides fluctuated during the steaming process. The steaming time had a consistent effect on antioxidant properties evaluated by oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC), 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl free radical scavenging activity (DPPH) and ferric reducing antioxidant property (FRAP), showing a significant increase and reaching 108.62, 23.08, and 11.68 micromoles Trolox per mass of fresh slice (μmol TE/g FW), respectively. The present results suggest that fresh-cut C. deserticola can be subjected to approximately 5-7 min of steaming to improve phenylethanoid glycoside levels and antioxidant activity, while still preserving the amounts of soluble sugars, polysaccharides, and dilute ethanol-soluble extracts. These results would help to improve the production process for fresh-cut Chinese medicines, and increase the understanding of their associated health benefits.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Medicinal Plant Development, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Peking Union Medical College.
authors.forename: Fang
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Peng
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Xia
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Changqing
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Tongning
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Rong
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Xu
mesh_terms: D000975:Antioxidants / Q000032:analysis*; D031671:Cistanche / Q000737:chemistry*; D016166:Free Radical Scavengers / Q000032:analysis*; D006027:Glycosides / Q000032:analysis*; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000032:analysis; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species / Q000032:analysis*; D013227:Steam
chemical_list: D000975:Antioxidants; D016166:Free Radical Scavengers; D006027:Glycosides; D010936:Plant Extracts; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species; D013227:Steam