Anthocyanins are a group of water‐soluble polyphenolic pigments found primarily in flowers, vegetables, and fruits. These pigments play critical roles in plant and human health. Spectrophotometric methods are a simple and inexpensive way to quantify anthocyanins in plant tissues. Two main spectrophotometric methods have been developed, organic solvent‐based, and pH differential methods. Both of these methods are subject to interference from light‐absorbing impurities and need to be optimized for different matrixes of different plant materials. Eight methods have been tested in this experiment to quantify anthocyanins in strawberry fruits. Six organic solvent‐based methods tested methanol, chloroform‐methanol, and MgO in different ratios. The other two methods were pH differential method and a combination of organic solvent‐based and pH differential method. Two methods used organic solvents (methanol and chloroform‐methanol) were the best in extracting anthocyanin from strawberry fruits. Adding MgO increased the pH of the extract and was less efficient in anthocyanin extraction. All other methods had lower anthocyanin yield compared with methanol and chloroform‐methanol methods and are not recommended for strawberry fruit anthocyanin extraction.

Anthocyanins are the primarily pigments in many flowers, vegetables, and fruits and play a critical role in human and plant health. They are polyphenolic pigments that are soluble in water and usually quantified by spectrophotometric methods. The two main methods that quantify anthocyanins are pH differential and organic solvent-based methods. Our hypothesis was that these methods extract different anthocyanin profiles. Therefore, this experiment was designed to identify anthocyanin profiles that are extracted by pH differential and organic solvent-based methods and observe their total anthocyanin content from strawberries. Six methods were tested in this experiment to quantify and profile anthocyanins in strawberry fruits by spectrophotometry and Ultra High Performance Liquid Chromatography (UHPLC) respectively. Four methods used organic solvents (methanol, and chloroform-methanol) in different combinations. The next two methods were pH differential and a combination of organic solvent and the pH differential method. The results suggest that acidified chloroform-methanol extracted the highest anthocyanin content compared to water-based solvents. Methanol-water based solvents also performed better than methanol alone, because both methanol and water may extract different profiles of anthocyanins. Water-based extracts had the greatest absorbance at a lower wavelength (498 nm), followed by methanol (508 nm), and chloroform (530 nm). Chloroform-methanol solvent with higher pH (3.0) extracted pelargonidin as the main anthocyanin, while methanol and water-based solvents (with lower pH 1.0–2.0) extracted delphinidin as their main anthocyanin as identified by UHPLC. Therefore, chloroform-methanol and methanol-water solvents were the best solvents for extracting anthocyanins from strawberries. Also, freeze-dried strawberries had higher anthocyanin contents compared to fresh or frozen samples.

Microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) is the most widely used excipient for the production of pellets but it retards the release of poorly water soluble drugs. The present investigation reports incorporation of camphor, cross carmellose sodium (CCS) and spray dried lactose (SDL) into MCC pellets to enhance the dissolution rate of telmisartan. A full factorial design (3) was used in the study. Concentration of camphor and CCS was selected as independent variables whereas percentage porosity and percentage drug release at 60 min were selected as dependent variables. Pellets were produced by extrusion-spheronization technique and evaluated for percentage yield, particle size analysis, flow characteristics, percentage porosity, drug content and drug release. Contour plots and 3-D surface plots were presented for graphical expression of the results. Pellet formulations exhibited acceptable morphological, flow and mechanical properties. As against to 38.54% drug release after 60 min with MCC pellets, pellets prepared with optimized formulation, composed of proper combination of MCC, SDL, camphor and CCS, released 100% drug after 60 min. Our study underlines the fact that dissolution of telmisartan from MCC pellets can be successfully enhanced by incorporating water soluble excipient, disintegrant and pore formers.

Anthocyanins are a group of pigments with antioxidant activities that are present naturally in plants. The role of the pigment in human health and its quantitative analysis has attracted a lot of attention globally. A well-known and accurate method of anthocyanin quantification is based on spectrophotometric methods. However, these methods are subject to interference from impurities and need to be optimized for different plant matrixes and extraction conditions. Two experiments were designed to study (1) the effect of plant preparation methods (eg, fresh, frozen, and freeze-dried puree) on anthocyanin yield and (2) the effect of five anthocyanin extraction methods on anthocyanin yield of freeze-dried strawberry puree. Sample preparation methods did not have any effect on anthocyanin yield. Freeze-dried samples were used for their stability (ease of use and flexibility) to compare extraction methods. The anthocyanin yield was affected by the extraction method. Two methods containing chloroform gave the highest anthocyanin yield. One method with methanol:water:HCl gave intermediate results, and the pH differential and the other method with methanol:water:HCl (80:20:1) gave the lowest anthocyanin yields. Processing time (incubation time) was lowest in the pH differential method; however, the haze produced in this method may interfere with the spectrophotometric assessment of anthocyanins.

Anthocyanins are a major group of plant pigments that have antioxidant activities. Pigments play a major role in human health and have attracted a lot of attention globally. Many factors affect anthocyanin yields, such as solvent type, incubation time, solvent-to-sample ratio, sample type, and temperature. The first parameter was tested, and the rest were considered constant in this experiment. A total of nine organic and water-based solvents (methanol and chloroform: methanol, acetone, ethanol, water) and their combinations were compared to extract anthocyanins from freshly-pureed strawberries. Solvents changed anthocyanin yield, color parameters, and profile. The color parameters of a* values lower than 30, L* values higher than 85, hue angle more than 40, and chroma less than 30 indicated some color degradation in strawberry anthocyanins. Therefore, the best solvents for anthocyanin assessment were methanol and methanol: water. The second-best solvent was the pH differential buffers. Other solvents such as ethanol, chloroform: methanol, water, and water-based solvents extracted considerable amounts of anthocyanins; however, they showed some degree of color degradation, evidenced by the color parameters. Acetone did not yield a stable extract which degraded over 48 h of storage at 4 °C. The extraction solvent determined the main anthocyanin of the anthocyanins profile. Pelargonidin was the major anthocyanin in chloroform: methanol solvent, while delphinidin was dominant in all other solvents.