ANNALS OF AGRICULTURAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL MEDICINE. ISSN: 1232-1966, eISSN: 1898-2263. Volume: 21, Issue: 1, Pages: 11-14, Published: 2014

Abstract: Background. The blackcurrant (Ribes nigrum L.) is a species of native currant which contains a lot of polyphenolic antioxidants which is used medicinally and has a fundamental role in the maintenance health. Materials, methods and objective. Ultraviolet-visible spectrophotometry and ultraviolet range high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) were used to characterize the polyphenolic content of common Ribes nigrum collected in the western part of the Banat Region in Romania. Results. UV-visible spectrophotometry was a reliable tool for identifying the phenolic compounds class. Polyphenols calibration curves from the methanolic extracts showed a good linearity (r(2)>0.984) within test ranges and generated a well-designed absorption band with a local maximum at 273.2 nm band, which can be attributed to thr electronic transition of the n-pi(*)type. Chromatographic separation and analysis of the methanol extract was useful for the structural epigallocatechin (EGC) and epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) characterization of primary antioxidant compounds. Conclusions. The new, slightly modified, chromatographic system can serve for the development of a quantitative assessment methodology of epigallocatechin and epigallocatechin-3-gallate compounds, as well as for the comparative characterisation and standardisation of the dominant polyphenolic components in Ribes nigrum using EGC and EGCG standards.