Changes in beneficial bioactive compounds in eight traditional herbal liqueurs during a one‐month maceration process

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Herbs are rich in various beneficial bioactive compounds and they can be used for many different purposes. One of the most common is maceration of herbs in alcohol. Different substances respond differently to extraction in prepared solutions. It is very important to enhance the highest proportion of beneficial ingredients during the maceration process in a herbal liqueur. A comparative analysis of numerous different phenolic compounds from eight of the most frequently used herbs for making aperitifs in Europe was performed. RESULTS:In the comparison among all studied herbs, the highest phenolic content was found with Artemisia absinthium (wormwood) (14.61 mg g −1 ) and Mentha piperita (peppermint) (13.89 mg g −1 ), while the lowest content was found with Centaurium erythraea (common centaury) (3.96 mg g −1 ). Salvianolic acid isomers and caffeic acid derivatives were the greatest contributors to the total phenolic content in lemon balm, wormwood, peppermint, fennel and sage. These compounds contain more hydroxyl groups and they were better extracted at the beginning of the maceration process. Caraway and common centaury contain more flavonols (quercetin and kaempferol derivatives), with higher chemical stability and fewer hydroxyl groups in their structure. CONCLUSION: The compositions of eight herbal liqueurs were highly related to the presence of different herbal ingredientsand their solubility in the extract over time. Most flavonol derivatives were extracted over a longer time and the two liqueurs (common centaury and caraway) therefore had the highest phenolic contents after 3 weeks of maceration. Comparison of phenolics among eight different medicinal speciesIn previous experimental work, wormwood and peppermint had the highest levels of total phenolic content among all the J Sci Food Agric 2020; 100: 343-353Mean ± standard errors are presented. Different letters (a-d) in the same column for individual herbs indicate significant differences in phenolic contents between different steeping days (P < 0.05) by Duncan's multiple range test.Bold indicates the sum of individual phenolic compounds.

Phenolic Compound Characterization and Biological Activities of Mistletoe (Viscum album L.) Ethanol Macerates Used in Herbal Spirit Production

“…Based on the obtained results, the parameters of the maceration process of mistletoe in a water-ethanol base in which the highest yield of total phenolic compounds is achieved are 80 g/L of mistletoe, a 55% v/v water-ethanol base, and the 21-day maceration duration. These results are consistent with the findings of Senica and Mikulić-Petkovšek [35], who reported that the highest phenolic content in 40% (v/v) ethanol was obtained in eight different herb macerates (wormwood, caraway, centaury, fennel, lemon balm, peppermint, rue, and sage), which are mostly used for homemade alcoholic beverages or liquors, between 7-and 21-day maceration periods. Furthermore, carob pod maceration in a 50% (v/v) water-ethanol base (1:5 solid-to-liquid ratio) in darkness for 8 weeks was recommended as optimal maceration conditions for the production of carob liquor [24].…”

Quantitative Descriptive Analysis of Traditional Herbal and Coffee Liqueurs Made with Grape Marc Spirit (Orujo)

“…Bitter and astringent are two descriptive terms also used to describe the flavor of citrus alcoholic beverages elaborated by the maceration of citrus peel in alcohol [ 49 ]. Both terms are associated with the presence of phenolic compounds in the liqueur that they were extracted from the coffee and the herbal plants during the maceration process in alcohol base (in this case Orujo) [ 50 ]. These bitter notes in some liqueurs are known, by their digestive effects, to stimulate the appetite or after a meal to aid food digestion [ 51 ].…”

Phaleria macrocarpa (Scheff.) Boerl.: An updated review of pharmacological effects, toxicity studies, and separation techniques

“…Maceration is the most basic extraction technique commonly used among researchers worldwide since it only requires basic laboratory apparatus and is suitable for both small and large extraction setups. It is also exhaustive and suitable for thermosensitive compounds since it does not involve heat ( Senica and Mikulic-Petkovsek, 2020 , Vieitez et al, 2018 ). However, there are several disadvantages of using this technique such as long extraction time, a huge amount of solvent consumption, and low extraction efficiency ( Zhang et al, 2018 ).…”