Effect of brewing conditions on pigments and total polyphenols content and biological activities of the Acantholippia deserticola (Phil.) infusion

Abstract

Brewing conditions influence the composition and properties of herbal infusions. Acantholippia deserticola (Phil.) (RR) is a native and medicinal, Chilean Altiplano herb. This study assessed the effect of the section plant used, mass:water ratio and brewing time, on the infusions RR characteristics. RR leaves had higher total polyphenols (TPP) and antioxidant capacity (A.C.) than the stem. Polyphenol, chlorophyll and pheophytin extraction was maximized after 5 min brewing. Infusion prepared with 1 g has lower extraction ratio, per herb mass used, than those with 0.5 g. The infusion contained 10.1 µmol/L TPP, 5.5 µg/mL chlorophyll and 4.3 µg/mL pheophytins. Its A.C. was 69.2 µmol Trolox eq./L (FRAP), its IC50 was µg/mL 337 (DPPH) and 438 µg/ml (ABTS), and a dose of 300 mg/kg had an anti-inflammatory effect. The section of the plant, the herb: water ratio and the brewing time affect the characteristics of the RR infusions.