Phenolic compounds in red Chicorium intybus vegetable

Polyphenols are biologically active compounds widely distributed in the plant kingdom and so present in plant-derived foods and intrinsic components of human diets. Polyphenols have been shown to possess a range of biological activities, that are consistent with them contributing to the protection afforded by a diet rich in fruit and vegetables against degenerative diseases, inflammatory process, and aging, and modulating the immunity system. Cichorium intybus with its different varieties is a genus rich in polpyphenols; in fact, it is known to contain a number of hydroxycinnamic acid derivatives and flavonoids, with anthocyanins characterizing the var. silvestre, but the qualitative evaluation of polyphenolic fraction of red chicories, commonly used as food, is far to be completed. As the degree of hydroxylation of polyphenols is important in determining the biological activity and the degree and type of glycosylation are important in determining the ability of these compounds to be adsorbed in humans, the aim of this work was to investigate red chicory variety largely consumed in Italian diet, characterizing the different isomeric forms of polyphenols. The investigation was carried out using HPLC-DAD-ESI-MSn. The obtained results indicated the presence of a variety of phenolic acids in their different isomeric forms, flavonols (kaempferol and quercetin derivatives), and anthocyanidins glycosilated with one or more sugar moieties.