CHEMICAL COMPOSITION AND BIOLOGICAL POTENTIAL OF SEA FENNEL : diplom athesis

Cilj ovog rada bio je istražiti utjecaj okolišnih faktora na kemijski sastav i biološki potencijal samonikle biljke motar (Crithmum maritimum L.) te mogućnosti njene primjene u prehrambenoj industriji. Analizirani su metanolni ekstrakti lista motra prikupljeni duž Jadranske obale na 7 različitih lokacija. U eksperimentalnom dijelu rada spektrofotometrijski je u uzorcima određen udio ukupnih fenola i flavonoida, te je korištenjem tekućinske kromatografije visoke djelotvornosti (HPLC; engl. High-performance liquid chromatography) identificirana i kvantificirana klorogenska kiselina i njeni derivati. Antioksidacijska aktivnost određena je pomoću 3 različite metode: metodom određivanja snage redukcije željeza (engl. Ferric Reducing Antioxidant Power, FRAP), ispitivanjem kapaciteta apsorpcije kisikovih radikala (engl. Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity, ORAC) te metodom redukcije 2,2-difenil-1-pikrilhidrazil radikala (engl. 2,2 diphenyl-1-pycrilhydrazyl, DPPH). Dobiveni rezultati ukazuju na utjecaj mjesta uzorkovanja na njihov kemijski sastav i biološki potencijal. Pjeskovito stanište, koje biljci uskraćuje hranjive tvari i izlaže je stresu, pokazalo se kao potencijalno važni uzročnik bogatog fenolnog sastava i izuzetnog biološkog potencijala uzoraka. Sukladno tome, najviši udio fenolnih komponenti (ukupni fenoli, flavonoidi, klorogenska kiselina) i najbolja redukcijska snaga i antioksidacijski potencijal zabilježen je u uzorku lista motra uzorkovanom na lokaciji Neretva, dok su uzorci prikupljeni na srednjem Jadranu (Lokacije Split i Drašnice) imali najniži udio navedenih spojeva i slabu antioksidacijsku aktivnost.The aim of this work was to investigate the influence of environmental factors on the chemical composition and biological potential of the wild sea fennel (Crithmum maritimum L.) and the possibilities of its application in the food industry. Methanolic extracts of sea fennel leaves collected along the Adriatic coast at 7 different locations were analyzed. In the experimental part of the work, the content of total phenols and flavonoids was determined spectrophotometrically, while the concentration of chlorogenic acid and its derivatives was identified and quantified using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Antioxidant activity was determined using 3 different methods: the Ferric Reducing Antioxidant Power (FRAP) method, the Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity (ORAC) test, and the method of reducing 2,2-diphenyl- 1-picrylhydrazyl radical (DPPH). The obtained results indicate the influence of the sampling site on the chemical composition and biological potential of the samples. The sandy habitat, which deprives the plant of nutrients and exposes it to stress, can potentially be a reason for the rich phenolic composition and exceptional biological potential of the samples. Accordingly, the highest proportion of phenolic components (total phenols, flavonoids, chlorogenic acid) and the best reducing power and antioxidant potential was recorded for the sea fennel leaves sampled at the Neretva location, while the samples collected in the central Adriatic (Split and Drašnice locations) had the lowest content of the mentioned compounds and weak antioxidant activity