Phytochemical profiling of pressurized liquid extracts from Physalis peruviana calyces by LC and GC couple to q-TOF mass spectrometry

Abstract

Physalis peruviana L. (Solanaceae), commonly named cape gooseberry, goldenberry or physalis, is a native plant from South America and it is grown in Colombia, Chile, Ecuador, Peru and some countries of Central America, South Africa, tropical Africa, Asia and Europe. The popularity of this plat is due to the organoleptic properties as well as the nutritional and functional value of its fruits, which represent a promissory source of bioactive phytochemicals such as carotenoids, withanolides and phytosterols, among others. The calyx of goldenberries is one of the generated wastes during both the fresh consumption and the transformation process of this fruit. Considering that a single plant has potential to yield 300 fruits, about 22-33 tons of waste are generated per cultivated hectare of P. Peruviana. Although goldenberry calyces are reported in literature as potential source of bioactive compounds, the identification of bioactive substances of this food residue has not been comprehensively described yet. Hence, considering the bioactive potential of this food by-product, a revaluation strategy based on a pressurized liquid extraction (PLE) procedure was optimized in order to obtain withanoliderich extracts from P. peruviana calyces with the highest antioxidant capacity. Ethyl acetate and ethanol were used as extraction solvents at different temperatures. The optimal extracts were first characterized by LC-q-TOF, allowing tentative identification of the major phenolic components, whitasteroids (C28 isoprenoids), including withanolides, as well as a large family of anti-inflammatory sucrose esters. In order to have complementary information of the extract’s composition, the volatile fraction was analyzed by GC-q-TOF, revealing the presence of relevant phytosterols and tocopherols.