Ecologia Balkanica

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https://doi.uni-plovdiv.bg/handle/store/4
p-ISSN: 1314-0213 / e-ISSN: 1313-9940

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Browsing Ecologia Balkanica by Author "Andonova, Tsvetelina"

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    Onopordum acanthium (Linnaeus, 1753) seeds from Southern Bulgaria: A promising natural source of lipid-soluble bioactive components
    (Plovdiv University Press "Paisii Hilendarski", 2025-12-03) Petkova, Zhana; Teneva, Olga; Antova, Ginka; Angelova-Romova, Maria; Andonova, Tsvetelina; Dimitrova-Dyulgerova, Ivanka
    The current study aimed to evaluate the chemical and lipid composition of seeds of Onopordum acanthium grown in South Bulgaria. The seeds were characterised with a high amount of carbohydrates (56.76%), and similar contents of proteins (16.05%) and glyceride oil (16.45%). The share of dietary fiber was very high, at 38.4%, and that of the ash content was 3.42%. The chemical composition of the seeds determined their good energy value, which was 439 kcal/100 g. The glyceride oil was rich in lipid-soluble bioactive components – unsaponifiable matter (2.70%), sterols (0.69%), tocopherols (172.50 mg/kg), and phospholipids (0.36%), as well as in various essential fatty acids, linoleic acid being the predominant one (69.3%). The other fatty acids found in high amounts were oleic (21.4%) and palmitic (5.3%) acids. The main sterols identified in the seed oil were β-sitosterol (62.2%), followed by stigmasterol (21.7%) and campesterol (8.6%). Two tocopherols were detected in the fraction: γ-tocopherol (74.7%) and αtocopherol (25.3%), while the predominant phospholipids were phosphatidylinositol (33.7%), phosphatidylcholine (13.1%), phosphatidylserine (12.9%), and phosphatidylethanolamine (11.9%). Important lipid indices were also calculated for O. acanthium seed oil – index of atherogenicity (0.0625), index of thrombogenicity (0.1735), hypocholesterolaemic/hypercholesterolaemic (HH) ratio (16.83), peroxidability index (70.64), and oxidation stability index (0.78). These characterristics depicted the health benefits and oxidative stability of the examined glyceride oil, determining its potential implementation in functional foods, nutraceuticals, and therapeutic formulations.
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    Seasonal dynamic of main classes phenolics and radical scavenging activity of invasive tree Ailanthus altissima extracts
    (Plovdiv University Press "Paisii Hilendarski", 2024-04-29) Andonova, Tsvetelina; Rusinova-Videva, Snezhana; Bojilov, Dimitar; Apostolova, Elena; Mladenova, Tsvetelina; Slavov, Iliya; Dimitrova-Dyulgerova, Ivanka
    Aerial herbal substances from Ailanthus altissima were the subject of the present study, which aimed to follow the dynamics in the accumulation of bioactive compounds with antioxidant potential during vegetation, namely polyphenols, flavonoids, phenolic acids, and tannins quantified by pharmacopoeial methods. Aqueous and ethanolic extracts from dry plant material (under reflux and heating at 200°C) and ethanolic extracts from fresh plant material (under vacuum) were prepared to determine the optimal conditions for the extraction process of the antioxidant active components. Radical scavenging activities (according to ABTS and DPPH in vitro assays) were found for all tested extracts. Flower buds and flower extracts demonstrated the best results, followed by leaves and stem bark, which correlated with the total polyphenols and flavonoid content found. Vacuum extracts of flowers collected at the beginning of flowering were distinguished by the strongest antioxidant potential (3272.28 ABTS mmol TE/g dw and 2125.67 DPPH mmol TE/g dw). The same type of extract is also suitable for stem bark (411.61 ABTS mmol TE/g dw) for which the collection period is the beginning and the end of the growing season. Ethanolic leaf extracts (collected at the beginning flowering stage) with the application of temperature treatment exhibited the best antioxidant potency (504.75 ABTS mmol TE/g dw and 404.72 DPPH mmol TE/g dw) for this plant substance. The results of the present study provide a good basis for future research on Ailanthus altissima intending to incorporate it into phyto-preparations with strong antioxidant activity.