Determination of Total Carotenoid Content in Safflower Flower Using Cold Solvent and Ultrasonic Waves

Abstract

The purpose of the present study was to determine the total carotenoid content in safflower’s flower (Carthamus tinctorius L.) using cold solvent and ultrasonic waves. The plants contain several compounds which have different structures. The extraction of these compounds depends on several factors and must be taken into account: the type of solvent extraction, sample size and the ratio of solvent. In this study we used cold solvent (using a dipping method) and ultrasonic waves for determining total carotenoid contents in safflower’s flower. The flowers were purchased from a local market in Tehran and then grounded into powder using a grinding machine and used for determination total carotenoid content. The results revealed that ultrasonic for 15 s and intensity of 60% led to the best performance in terms of extraction efficiency of the total carotenoids.