Hydrothermal treatment improves xanthine oxidase inhibitory activity and affects the polyphenol profile of <i>Flos Sophorae Immaturus</i>
Jun Li, Yuhong Gong, Jinwei Li, Liuping Fan
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Flos Sophorae Immaturus (FSI) is rich in polyphenols and a potential uric acid-lowering food. However, the processing of FSI is greatly restricted due to the heat sensitivity and low solubility of polyphenols. In this study, hydrothermal treatment - an effective strategy - was applied to FSI processing. The variation of xanthine oxidase (XO) inhibitory effect and polyphenol composition of FSI during hydrothermal treatment were recorded. RESULTS: ). However, high thermal temperature (>160 °C) and extended thermal time (>90 min) caused the degradation of polyphenols. Rutin, kaempferol-3-O-rutinoside and narcissoside rapidly degraded and converted to quercetin, kaempferol and isorhamnetin when the temperature exceeded 160 °C. The maximum yields of quercetin, kaempferol and isorhamnetin were at 220 °C for 30 min, 90 min and 90 min, respectively. Meanwhile, the conversion kinetics conformed to the first-order model. Interestingly, these newly formed polyphenols possessed better XO inhibitory effects than their derivatives with 3-O-rutinoside. CONCLUSION: Polyphenol conversion during hydrothermal treatment was the main reason for enhancing XO inhibitory activity. Therefore, hydrothermal treatment is an appropriate method for improving the XO inhibitory effect of FSI. © 2022 Society of Chemical Industry.