Phytochemical study of food plants

The aim of this study is to investigate the phytochemistry of two food and herb plants that are commonly consumed. They are the beetroot and the celery, which are commercially known and have been grown for a long time in our country and in Europe. The beetroot (Beta vulgaris var. rubra) belongs taxonomically to the order Magnoliopsida, family Amaranthaceae, subfamily Chenopodiaceae, within which it is a member of the subgenus Beta. Celery (Apium graveolens var. dulce) is a plant of the order Magnoliopsida, Apiales, and of the family Apiaceae. Beetroot is one of the vegetables that owes its antioxidant activity partly to its phenolic components. The active substances include various vitamins, minerals, phenolic components, anthocyanins, fibers, carotenoids, ascorbic acid. Celery stalks contain phenolic components, furanocoumarins, and essential oils. The widespread use of celery stalk is due to its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antitumor, antimicrobial, antifungal and serum lipid-lowering properties. It is also used in food, cosmetics, and pharmaceuticals. Beetroot and celery stalk were used to prepare methanolic, ethanolic (50%) and aqueous extracts. For the determination of total polyphenols, ethanol (50%) proved to be the better solvent for both beetroot and celery. The total polyphenol content of beetroot was significantly lower than that of celery. In the determination of flavonoids in celery, the highest concentrations were obtained in the aqueous extracts. When anthocyanin concentrations were determined in cooked and raw beetroot, almost identical but surprisingly low concentrations were obtained. In case of the ABTS method used for antioxidant measurements, ethanolic extracts (50%) are the best free radical scavengers for beetroot, while methanolic extract of frozen stem part is the most effective in case of celery.