Recovery of Polyphenolic Compounds and Vitamins from the Stinging Nettle Leaves: Thermal and Behavior and Biological Activity of Obtained Extracts
Saša Đurović,
Darko Micić,
Saša Šorgić,
Saša Popov,
Uroš Gašić,
Tomislav Tosti,
Marija Kostić,
Yulia A. Smyatskaya,
Stevan Blagojević,
Zoran Zeković
Affiliations
Saša Đurović
Institute of General and Physical Chemistry, Studentski trg 12/V, 11158 Belgrade, Serbia
Darko Micić
Institute of General and Physical Chemistry, Studentski trg 12/V, 11158 Belgrade, Serbia
Saša Šorgić
Oenological Laboratory, Heroja Pinkija 49, 26300 Vršac, Serbia
Saša Popov
Oenological Laboratory, Heroja Pinkija 49, 26300 Vršac, Serbia
Uroš Gašić
Institute for Biological Research “Siniša Stanković”—National Institute of Republic of Serbia, University of Belgrade, Bulevar Despota Stefana 142, 11060 Belgrade, Serbia
Tomislav Tosti
Faculty of Chemistry, University of Belgrade, Studentski trg 12, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia
Marija Kostić
Faculty for Hotel and Tourism Management in Vrnjačka Banja, University of Kragujevac, Vojvodjanska Ulica bb, 36210 Vrnjačka Banja, Serbia
Yulia A. Smyatskaya
Graduate School of Biotechnology and Food Industries, Peter the Great Saint-Petersburg Polytechnic University, Polytechnicheskaya Street, 29, 195251 Saint-Petersburg, Russia
Stevan Blagojević
Institute of General and Physical Chemistry, Studentski trg 12/V, 11158 Belgrade, Serbia
Zoran Zeković
Faculty of Technology, University of Novi Sad, Bulevar Cara Lazara 1, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia
Stinging nettle (SN) is an extraordinary plant from the Urticaceae botanical family. It is well-known and widely used in food and folk medicine to treat different disorders and diseases. This article aimed to study the chemical composition of SN leaves extracts, i.e., polyphenolic compounds and vitamins B and C, because many studies ascribed high biological potency to these compounds and their significance in the human diet. Besides the chemical profile, the thermal properties of the extracts were studied. The results confirmed presence of many polyphenolic compounds and vitamins B and C. It also showed that the chemical profile closely correlated with the applied extraction technique. The thermal analysis showed that analyzed samples were thermally stable up to about 160 °C. Thermal degradation of samples UAE, MAE, and MAC took place in four steps, and sample SE in three steps. Altogether, results confirmed the presence of health-beneficial compounds in stinging nettle leaves and indicated the possible application of its extract in pharmaceutical and food industries as both a medicinal and food additive.
