Application of sample disruption methods in the extraction of anthocyanins from solid or semi-solid vegetable samples

Cassis, a commercial powder obtained from blackcurrant juice (Ribes nigrum L.), was used to optimize the anthocyanin extraction by matrix solid-phase dispersion (MSPD) and by sea sand disruption method (SSDM). The optimum eluent conditions were 5.0 mL of MeOH/H2O (1:1, v/v) at pH 2. The extracts were analyzed by HPLC with diode-array detection (DAD) and the extraction efficiency was evaluated by statistical comparison (analysis of variance, ANOVA-single factor) of the compounds peak areas. The extraction efficiency for the MSPD procedure was dependent on the chemical nature of the C18 material but the optimized procedure yielded results similar to those obtained by the inexpensive sea sand disruption method (SSDM). This procedure also compared favorably to a previously published liquid-liquid extraction method. The optimized sea sand method was then used in the anthocyanin extraction from red grapes (Vitis vinifera L.) and strawberries (Fragaria ananassa D.) yielding chromatographic profiles similar to those reported in the literature for these products.