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Published on: March 15, 2017
Sodium Hydroxide Enhances Extractability and Analysis of Proanthocyanidins in Ensiled Sainfoin (Onobrychis
Aina Ramsay1, Chris Drake1, Anja Grosse Brinkhaus2
1Chemistry and Biochemistry Laboratory, School of Agriculture, Policy and Development, University of Reading , 1 Early Gate, P.O. Box 236, Reading RG6 6AT, United Kingdom.
Abstract:
Little information exists on the effects of ensiling on condensed tannins or proanthocyanidins. The acetone-butanol-HCl assay is suitable for measuring proanthocyanidin contents in a wide range of samples, silages included, but provides limited information on proanthocyanidin composition, which is of interest for deciphering the relationships between tannins and their bioactivities in terms of animal nutrition or health. Degradation with benzyl mercaptan (thiolysis) provides information on proanthocyanidin composition, but proanthocyanidins in several sainfoin silages have proved resistant to thiolysis. We now report that a pretreatment step with sodium hydroxide prior to thiolysis was needed to enable their analysis. This alkaline treatment increased their extractability from ensiled sainfoin and facilitated especially the release of larger proanthocyanidins. Ensiling reduced assayable proanthocyanidins by 29%, but the composition of the remaining proanthocyanidins in silage resembled that of the fresh plants.
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