Desenvolvimento de método de extração de compostos fenólicos em frutos de Eugenia uniflora

Abstract

Medicinal plants are an important source for the development of herbal medicines and pharmaceuticals, with species selection and extraction methods being crucial steps for ensuring the efficacy and safety of these products. Brazil has vast biodiversity, with species that produce secondary metabolites with biological activity in other organisms, including Eugenia uniflora L., popularly known as pitangueira, which is listed in the National List of Medicinal Plants of Interest to the Brazilian Unified Health System (ReniSUS). This study aimed to develop a method for the extraction of phenolic compounds present in extracts of E. uniflora fruits. Fruits were collected at the Federal University of Uberlândia, processed by lyophilization, and subjected to solid-liquid extraction with 80% methanol acidified with 0.3% TFA. The crude extract obtained was fractionated by liquid-liquid extraction with ethyl acetate and subsequently through a column packed with Amberlite XAD-2 resin. The fractions were analyzed by thin-layer chromatography (TLC), spectrophotometry, determination of total phenolics using the Folin-Ciocalteu method, and liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-QTOF-MS/MS). The results showed a higher content of phenolic compounds in the methanolic fraction (MX11), with 435.48 mg GAE/g of extract, compared to the ethyl acetate fraction (MX9), with 290.79 mg GAE/g of extract. LC-ESI-QTOF-MS/MS analysis indicated the presence of cyanidin-3-O-hexoside, confirming the efficiency of the method for the extraction of anthocyanins. It is concluded that the methodology applied was effective in concentrating phenolic compounds and anthocyanins in E. uniflora, although further studies are necessary for the detailed characterization of other classes of metabolites present.