Comparative Evaluation of Matrix- and Extraction-Dependent Phenolic Assay Responses in Selected Plant Materials
5 affiliations
- 1Department of Environmental Chemistry and Bioanalytics, Faculty of Chemistry, Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, Gagarina 7, 87-100 Toruń, Poland
- 2Prof. Jan Czochralski Kuyavian-Pomeranian Science and Technology Center in Toruń, Krasińskiego 4/4A, 87-100 Toruń, Poland
- 3Faculty of Chemical and Process Engineering, Gdańsk University of Technology, Narutowicza 11/12, 80-233 Gdańsk, Poland
- 4Institute of Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Biological and Veterinary Sciences, Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, Lwowska 1, 87-100 Toruń, Poland
- 5International Institute of Analytical Chemistry, Polish Academy of Sciences, Krasińskiego 4–4A, 87-100 Toruń, Poland
Abstract
Eight commercial lyophilised plant materials were extracted by maceration, shaking-assisted extraction, or ultrasound-assisted extraction using water, 70% ethanol, or 96% ethanol. Total phenolic content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC), total phenolic acid content (TPA), and vanillin-reactive tannins (TANs) were determined spectrophotometrically in three independent extractions per condition. Plant materials were compared across nine extraction systems, and the effects of extraction protocol, solvent system, and their interaction in barberry fruit were assessed by two-way ANOVA. Extraction behaviour was matrix- and response-dependent. Barberry fruit produced the highest TPC and TPA in all systems, whereas TFC and TAN rankings varied among conditions. Water and 70% ethanol generally produced higher assay responses than 96% ethanol. In barberry fruit, extraction protocol, solvent system, and their interaction affected TPC, TFC, and TPA, while the TAN value varied among solvent-defined systems, although cross-solvent comparisons may also reflect differences in colour development caused by the solvent composition of the vanillin reaction mixture. Aqueous ultrasound-assisted extraction produced the highest observed mean TFC, TPA, and TAN responses while retaining a comparatively high TPC response; however, no extraction condition was statistically superior across all four responses. These findings support barberry fruit as a model matrix for targeted chemical characterisation and further extraction studies.
Related
- From unstructured to structured: opportunities, risks and engineering practices for LLM-based data extraction in chemistry and materials
- Bis-aryl substituted dioxaborines as electron-transport materials: a comparative density functional theory investigation with oxadiazoles and siloles
- Experimental Evaluation and Optimisation of Sealed‐Tube Combustion Methods for Silicate Nitrogen Extraction
- Extraction Strategies for Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS): A Critical Comparative Framework Integrating Sensitivity, Sustainability, and Analytical Trade-offs
- Microplastic Release from Drinking Water Contact Materials: Material-Specific Responses to Chlorination and Implications for Consumer Exposure
BibTeX
@article{sugajski2026comparative,
title = {{Comparative Evaluation of Matrix- and Extraction-Dependent Phenolic Assay Responses in Selected Plant Materials}},
author = {Mateusz Sugajski and Jacek Gajewski and Magdalena Buszewska-Forajta and Bogusław Buszewski},
journal = {Molecules},
year = {2026},
month = nov,
doi = {10.3390/molecules31213993},
url = {https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/31/21/3993},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Comparative Evaluation of Matrix- and Extraction-Dependent Phenolic Assay Responses in Selected Plant Materials
AU - Mateusz Sugajski
AU - Jacek Gajewski
AU - Magdalena Buszewska-Forajta
AU - Bogusław Buszewski
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/11/05
JO - Molecules
DO - 10.3390/molecules31213993
UR - https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/31/21/3993
AB - Eight commercial lyophilised plant materials were extracted by maceration, shaking-assisted extraction, or ultrasound-assisted extraction using water, 70% ethanol, or 96% ethanol. Total phenolic content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC), total phenolic acid content (TPA), and vanillin-reactive tannins (TANs) were determined spectrophotometrically in three independent extractions per condition. Plant materials were compared across nine extraction systems, and the effects of extraction protocol, solvent system, and their interaction in barberry fruit were assessed by two-way ANOVA. Extraction behaviour was matrix- and response-dependent. Barberry fruit produced the highest TPC and TPA in all systems, whereas TFC and TAN rankings varied among conditions. Water and 70% ethanol generally produced higher assay responses than 96% ethanol. In barberry fruit, extraction protocol, solvent system, and their interaction affected TPC, TFC, and TPA, while the TAN value varied among solvent-defined systems, although cross-solvent comparisons may also reflect differences in colour development caused by the solvent composition of the vanillin reaction mixture. Aqueous ultrasound-assisted extraction produced the highest observed mean TFC, TPA, and TAN responses while retaining a comparatively high TPC response; however, no extraction condition was statistically superior across all four responses. These findings support barberry fruit as a model matrix for targeted chemical characterisation and further extraction studies.
SN - 1420-3049
ER -