Phytochemical Profile and Antioxidant Activity of Lavandula angustifolia and Lavandula x intermedia Cultivars Extracted with Different Methods

Lavender is a valuable perennial plant from the Lamiaceae family. It is grown mainly for its essential oil, but it also contains polar bioactive compounds such as polyphenols and coumarins. Their level depends on the species, cultivars, geographical origin, climatic conditions, harvest time and extraction method. The authors investigated the effect of several extraction procedures (maceration, decoction and ultrasound-assisted extraction) applied to three cultivars of Lavandula angustifolia (Betty's Blue, Elizabeth, Hidcote) and two cultivars of Lavandula x intermedia (Grosso, Gros Bleu) on the yield of the polyphenolic compounds and antioxidant activity. HPLC analysis showed the presence of rosmarinic acid (2.52-10.82 mg/g), ferulic acid glucoside (2.94-8.67 mg/g), caffeic acid (1.70-3.10 mg/g), morin (1.02-13.63 mg/g), coumarin (1.01-5.97 mg/g) and herniarin (1.05-8.02 mg/g). The content of phenolic acids and flavonoids was higher in lavender, while the content of coumarins was higher in lavandin in all types of extracts. The antioxidant activity was determined by DPPH-EPR assay for antiradical properties (104.58-206.77 mu mol Trolox/g) and FRAP assay for reducing properties (79.21-203.06 mu mol Trolox/g). The obtained results showed that the cultivar is the dominant factor differentiating the samples. Still, the extraction method plays an important role in the final bioactive substances content and antioxidant properties of obtained extracts.

Automated summary

This study investigated the effects of different extraction methods on the polyphenolic compounds and antioxidant activity of lavender. The results showed that the cultivar was the dominant factor differentiating the samples, while the extraction method played an important role in the final bioactive substances content and antioxidant properties of obtained extracts.