Matricaría recutita L. (chamomile) decoction as a source of phenolic compounds

Aromatic herbs have been used to prepare several infüsions and decoctions with claimed beneficiai health effects, many of them attributed to the presence of phenolic compounds (hydrophilic molecules highly abundant in those aqueous preparations) (Guimarães et al., 2013). In fact antioxidant, antimicrobial and antitumor properties, among others, of phenolic compounds have been extensively reported (Kahkonen et al., 1999; Rauha et al., 2000). In the present work, Matricaria recutita L. (chamomile), one of the species mostly used to prepare herbal drinks was characterized in terms of phenolic profile. Américo Duarte Paixão Lda. (ADP) provided the samples, which were fúrther extracted by decoction, lyophilized, re-dissolved in water (5 mg/mL) and analysed by HPLC-DADESI/ MS. Nineteen phenolic compounds were identified, among which were nine flavonoids and ten phenolic acids. Phenolic acids were the major group present in M. recutita decoctions (23.66 ± 0.27 mg/g lyophilized decoction), in which four compounds were tentatively assigned as caffeoyl-2, 7-anhydro-3-deoxy-2-octulopyranosonic acids (CDOA) derivatives, being a di-CDOA (6. 83 ± 0.05 mg/g) the main phenolic acid. Among the flavonoids identified (17.89 ± 0.91 mg/g), luteolin-0-glucuronide (4.80 ± 0.54 mg/g) was the major compound. To the best ofour knowledge, such type ofcompounds hás not been previously reported in M. recutita flowers. Nevertheless, luteolin glycosides are commonly found in relevant amounts in this matrix and in its iníüsions. Due to the wellestablished bioactive properties ofphenolic compounds, M. recutita flowers could be used in arder to obtain extracts with health-promoting properties or be incorporated into foods as natural preservatives.