Food and Environment Safety - Journal of Faculty of Food Engineering, Ştefan cel MareUniversity - Suceava Volume X, Issue 4 - 2011 108 THE CONTENT OF CAROTENOID PIGMENTS IN ROSA CANINA L. FRUIT *Sorina ROPCIUC University Stefan cel Mare Suceava -Romania e-mail: sorinaropciuc@yahoo.com *Corresponding author Received 12 August 2011, accepted 15 November 2011 Abstract: Carotenoid pigments represent the integral vegetable carotenoids. They are the most widespread of all vegetable pigments. In the animal kingdom, these pigments come from the foods with a plant origin. Carotenoids are yellow, orange, red, purple, etc. colored pigments. In the plant body it is found in free state or in combination with holoprotoids and carbohydrates (carotenoprotoids, carotenoid glycosides). Carotenoid pigments are spread in all plant organs with or without chlorophyll (leaves, fruits, stems, bulbs, seeds, etc.). Carotenes are the precursors of retinols, that belong to the class of carotinids – the unsaturated pigments largly widespread in all the plants found in association with chlorophyll, in algae and microorganisms. The ingested carotenoids are absorbed through the intestinal wall in the presence of lipases and bile salts; the absorption is accompanied by oxidation reactions that form trans complete structures. Carotenoids are absorbed especially by the liver in the form of higher fatty acids. Vegetable pigments give the flavor, the taste and the color of the plant products. They can be part of the constitution of redox coenzymes, some of them are protectors of the enzymes and of the enzymatic activity, adjusting the redox potential of the biochemical environment, others are directly or indirectly involved in the process of photosynthesis. Keywords: color substances, enzymatic protectors, the retinol’s precusors 1. Introduction The carotenoids are lipid-soluble substances with 40 carbon atoms, disposed in a polyenic chain with 18 carbon atoms and 9 double conjugated bonds. At one end of the polyenic chain is grafted a β-ionone cycle and at the other end a α-ionone cycle or an open γ-ionone cycle (pseudo-ionone). Depending on the nature of the ionone cycle, there aare three types of carotenoids – α, β, γ. [1] Among the vegetable materials with high content of carotenoid pigments are: the carrot, the pepper, the apricots, the tomatoes, the sour cherries, the rose hip fruits. [2] The fruits of Rosa canina L. are found abundantly in our country, the rose hip has an extended growth area, but the fruits are not processed in terms of carotenoid pigments. The content of carotinids increases gradually in the rose hip fruit beginning with the shaping phase of the fruit until the full ripeness stage, when it reaches maximum value. Along with aging, the fruits soften, depreciate qualitatively, it decreases the content of useful substances and implicitly the content of carotenoid substances. [3] There occur interconversions between different types of carotenoids and the proportion between the content of hydrocarbonic carotenoids modifies. [1] The paper presents the extraction method and the content of total carotenoids from the fruits of Rosa Canina L. These pigments can be used as a natural dye in food, pharmacy and cosmetic industry, because they are natural and non- toxic. [3] The content of carotenoids varies with the content of vitamin C, with the altitude and with their position in the field. mailto:sorinaropciuc@yahoo.com Food and Environment Safety - Journal of Faculty of Food Engineering, Ştefan cel MareUniversity - Suceava Volume X, Issue 4 - 2011 109 Datorită poluării cu noxe chimice, cu praf, apar fenomene de deteriorare rapidă a fructelor de măceș, dimensiuni reduse și desprinderi de pe ramuri deteriorare rapidă la atingere. [4] Due to the pollution with chemical emissions, with dust, there occur quick deterioration phenomena of the rose hip fruits, small sizes, easy branches detachments and quick deterioration to the touch. [4]. From the category of fotochemical oxidants, the strongest are the ozone (O3) and the peroxyacetyl nitrates (PAN). They form as a result of the disturbance of the photolytic cycle of nitrogen diocide and the presence in atmosphere of the hydrocarbons from the combustion processes on the mobile sources (vehicles). [5] 2. Experimental Material and method The analysed material are the fruits of Rosa canina L., collected from the spontaneous flora at full maturity from the marked bushes on the route Suceava, Pătrăuţi, Dărmăneşti, Costâna, Părhăuţi, Todireşti, Cajvana, Arbore, Solca, Clit, Marginea, Rădăuţi, Suceviţa, Palma. Figure 1. The map of resorts The principle of the method. The dry vegetable material is triturated with a mix of anhydrous sodium sulphate and calcium oxid, that retain the colored substances except the carotenes. In order to prevent the dissolution of the carotenes in the acid medium, we add an anhydrous sodium carbonate. The carotenes from the triturated mix are extracted using acetone and perol ether. We measure the color intensity of the etheric solution of carotenes using the spectrophotometer with the wavelength of 450nm (blue filter). The content of carotenoid pigments is calculated according to formula (1). mg carotene%= pE vaE   2 1 100 (1) where: E1-the extinction of the investigated sample; E2 - the extinction of the standard solution; a- the number mg of carotene in a ml of standard solution; v- the volume of carotene solution, ml; p- the weight of the analysed material. The pH of the soil was determined using the potentiometric method with a ph-metre WTW, inolab1, in a aqueous solution according to SR 7184- 13:2001. [6] 3. Results and discussions For the determination we used rose hip fruits collected from the spontaneous during the full ripeness stage from 42 existing biotops within the chosen resorts. The results are correlated both with the chemical composition of the fruits and with the pedographic factors, with the location of the bushes to the pollution sources. When we compare the obtained results we notice the fact that the rose hip from the Food and Environment Safety - Journal of Faculty of Food Engineering, Ştefan cel MareUniversity - Suceava Volume X, Issue 4 - 2011 110 resorts found on the edge of the roads or on countryside roads with heavy vehicles traffic the content of pigments is reduced. The other resorts are next to people’s houses or on the way out of the city. The mobile pollution sources are the one that affect the vegetation with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons through the incomplete combustion of fuel, like gas or gasoline, as well of some solid fuel used in domestic heating installations. The content of carotenoid pigments correlate very well with the soil pH R2=0,3283. The regression straight line and the dispersal of the individual values is shown in figure 1. The content values of the carotenoid pigments orient themselves along a curve and we distinguish hereby a logarithmic regression. The correlation with the altitude of the carotenoid pigments is insignificant. The value of the regression is way below the significant value of 0,5. The values of the carotenoids are scattered, R2 equaling 0,1367. The graphic representation of the correlation with the altitude is shown in figure 2. Table 1. The measured values of the content of carotenoid pigments using the spectrophotometre Resorts The content of water in rose hip fruits Soil pH Carotenoid pigments in rose hip fruits U% mg% S1 Suceava 16 7.48 13.42 S2 Pătrăuţi 14.61 4.99 16.75 S3 Dărmăneşti 16 7.12 52.52 S4 Costâna 14.83 6.15 17.11 S5 Părhăuţi 15.69 5.4 15.76 S6 Todireşti 13.93 5.38 19.76 S7 Cajvana 14 4.34 9,37 S8 Arbore 13.58 6.38 36,53 S9 Solca 12.57 6.04 21.64 S10 Clit 12.5 5.17 37.32 S11 Marginea 14 7.29 46.95 S12 Rădăuţi 10 6.56 39.63 S13 Suceviţa 10.75 7.31 62.47 S14 Palma 11.31 6.33 13.26 The correlative bond in the form of a logarithmic regression y = 58.823Ln(x) - 77.268 R2 = 0.3283 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 2 4 6 8 soil pH ca ro te no id p ig m en ts , m g% analiza regresiei Log. (analiza regresiei) Figure2. The graphic representation of the correlative bond in the form of a logarithmic regression Food and Environment Safety - Journal of Faculty of Food Engineering, Ştefan cel MareUniversity - Suceava Volume X, Issue 4 - 2011 111 The correletive bond between pigments and altitude y = 1.4945x + 17.541 R2 = 0.1367 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 344 343 292 327 368 411 407 426 378 418 460 388 550 1080 altitude, m cr ot en oi d pi gm en ts , m g% Caroten mg Linear ( Caroten mg) Figure 3. The correlative bond between pigments and altitude 4.Conclusions The results of the determinations highlight the fact that the carotenoid pigments are found in quantities between 9,37mg% in Cajvana resort and 62,47mg% in Suceviţa. The different values are due partially to the postion of the bushes around houses, infields, roads with heavy traffic that pollute with dangerous chemical emissions and with aromatic polycyclic hidrocarbons. The bushes located in the vicinity of infields can be polluted with pesticides and insecticides, organic pollutants used in agricultural treatments. The dust, the microscopic particles hinder the process of photosynthesis, and as the result, the leaves of the plants fall down earlier or the plants are underdeveloped. Fruits come off easily and fall off the stems. The content of carotenoid pigments correlate very well with the soil acidity. Good results were registred at a pH betweeb 4 and 8. This value indicates an acid to a slightly alkaline pH. There is a type of behaviour in the case of some plants, that intensify their color when the soil has acid values. The fruits with low content of carotenoid pigments have been collected from bushes that presented early defoliation, fact that indicates pollution and sediments on the surface of the leaves, all this blocking the plant’s photosynthesis. 5. References 1. ŞERBAN M. ROŞU N., Biologically active substances, Romanian Academy Publishing House, Bucharest, 298- 299 (1992) 2. NEAMŢU G TĂMAŞ V., Carotenoid pigments and metabolites, vol. I . 32 (1986) 3. GOODWINT.W., Chemistry and Biochemistry of plant pigments, Acad. Press London & New York 129 (1980) 4. IVĂNESCU L. TOMA C., The influence of atmospheric pollution on the plants’ structure, „Andrei Şaguna” Foundation Publishing, 365, 122( 2002) 5. ARTENIE V TĂNASE E., Practicum of general biochemistry, „Alexandru Ioan Cuza” University Publishing, Iaşi 266-268, 1981 6. SR 7184- 13:2001 Soil Analysis Methods Determination of pH, Standardization Association’s of Romania, Bucharest Figure2. The graphic representation of the correlative bond in the form of a logarithmic regression