Abstract:

This research aimed to clarify the ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) spectra and contents of the fruit anthocyanins of the Cyclocodon lancifolius strains in Maguan County, Yunnan Province, providing a basis for the breeding, development, utilization and marketing of the fruits of the C. lancifolius in the county, and even in Yunnan Province. The C. lancifolius strains, i.e., ‘Wenheiguo No.1’- ‘Wenheiguo No.8’, in the county were employed as the test materials. The UV-vis spectra of the fruit anthocyanins were determined based on the continuous scanning in the range of 200-700 nm, and the total anthocyanin contents (TACs) of the fruits including the peels and flesh were evaluated by using spectrophotometry. The results showed that, in the UV-vis spectra of 1% concentrated hydrochloric acid-methanol extracts of the fruit anthocyanins of the eight C. lancifolius strains, one specific absorption band emerged in the visible and ultraviolet light regions, respectively, and the maximum absorption peak wavelength in the visible light region was 537.0 nm. ‘Wenheiguo No.2’ had the highest TACs for both the peels and the whole fruits, i.e., about (3.546±0.424) A_537.0/(g·FW) and (1.758±0.070) A_537.0/(g·FW), respectively, ‘Wenheiguo No.5’ held the highest TAC ratio of the peels to the whole fruits, i.e., about 2.237±0.096, ‘Wenheiguo No.6’ possessed the highest TAC ratio of the peels to the flesh, i.e., about 14.911±1.729, and the flesh TAC and the TAC ratio of the flesh to the whole fruits of ‘Wenheiguo No.7’ were both the highest, i.e., about (0.809±0.010) A_537.0/(g·FW) and 1.284±0.056, respectively. In addition, the differences of all TAC-related indexes among the eight strains reached extremely significant.

Key words: Cyclocodon lancifolius, fruit anthocyanin, ultraviolet-visible spectrum, Maguan County, Yunnan Province