Abstract
Objective: The current study evaluated Scorzonera L. (Asteraceae) species, which are used as vegetables and medicinal plants in different countries where they grow naturally, such as Türkiye, Europe, Mongolia, and China, for their phenolic composition.
Material and Method: The twenty-five members of the Scorzonera genus, collected from different parts of Turkey, were investigated using a newly developed and validated High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) method using some standard compounds, including chlorogenic acid, hyperoside, isoorientin, orientin, 7-O-methyl-isoorientin, isoquercetin, luteolin-7-O-β-glycoside, rutin, swertisin, and vitexin. The limit of detection and quantification levels were determined for each standard compound.
Result and Discussion: This study has revealed that the aerial parts are rich in phenolic compounds, with significantly higher amounts than the roots. Chlorogenic acid was detected in aerial parts and roots of all tested species and Scorzonera kotschyi aerial parts contained the highest amount (1787.26±32.88 µg/g). Most of the tested species contained varying amounts of hyperoside, isoorientin, isoquercetin, and orientin. Scorzonera aucheriana (572.93±0.04 µg/g), Scorzonera laciniata ssp. laciniata (524.07±5.06 µg/g), Scorzonera tomentosa (892.00±4.58 µg/g) and Scorzonera cana var. jacquiniana (309.23±1.69 µg/g) aerial parts contain these compounds respectively in higher amount. In contrast, vitexin, rutin and luteolin-7-O-β-glycoside were detected in a relatively small number of the tested species.