Content of Phenolic Compounds of Different Organ in Pimpinella brachycarpa Collected from Different Locations in Korea

Pimpinella brachycarpa (Kom.) Nakai, reported to have antioxidant activity, is one of the most favored edible greens grown in Asian regions. The present study explores the variation in phenolic compounds in P. brachycarpa collected from different locations in Korea. Six phenolic compounds, i.e., catechin hydrate, chlorogenic acid, ferulic acid, benzoic acid, rutin and quercetin, were detected in the leaves, whereas among these compounds ferulic acid and quercetin were absent in the stems and benzoic acid and quercetin were absent in the roots of P. brachycarpa. The variation in phenolic compounds in plants from different locations was not as much as that among the different parts. The level of catechin hydrate content was much higher in the leaves than in the stems and roots. The amount of catechin hydrate in the leaves was 8.03 and 6.63 times higher than that of the highest catechin hydrate content in the roots and stems, respectively. The amount of benzoic acid accumulated was slightly higher (1.39 times) in the stems than the highest level in the leaves. The amount of ferulic acid accumulated was 1.9 times higher in the roots than the maximum level in the leaves. The amount of rutin accumulated was 1.91 times higher and 1.32 times lower in the roots than the highest levels in the stems and leaves, respectively. Our results indicate that phenolic compounds in P. brachycarpa varied significantly among the organs from different locations and the highest amount of phenolic compounds is contained in the leaves.