Chrysanthemum morifolium cv. Fubaiju (CMF) is regarded as one of the three most renowned varieties of white Chrysanthemum in China, and different extraction methods have significant effects on its composition and activities. Therefore, six extractions were used in this study to assess the effects on extracts. The basic chemical composition showed that hot water extract (Hw) had the highest total phenolic content, alkali water immersion-assisted hot water extract (Al) had the highest content of protein, and enzyme-assisted hot water extract (Enz) had the highest content of carbohydrate. The UPLC-Q-Exactive-MS results evinced the presence of 19 small-molecule compounds, including chlorogenic acid, caffeic acid, tuberonic acid glucoside, luteolin-7-O-rutinoside, and other substances. In addition, the antioxidant test found that the Hw exhibited the best 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) (82.05 ± 1.59 mM TE/mg) and 2,2’-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) (61.91 ± 0.27 mM TE/mg) scavenging ability. The anti-glycation test demonstrated that Enz possessed the most pronounced inhibitory effect on glycation products, including fructosamine and advanced glycation end products (AGEs). Additionally, the Enz also exhibited the most significant inhibitory effect on the protein oxidation product N’-formylkynurenine. The correlation analysis revealed that there was a close relationship between antioxidant properties and glycation resistance of extracts, and tuberonic acid glucoside, 1,3-di-O-caffeoylquinic acid, 1,4-Dicaffeoylquinic acid, quercetin-7-O-β-D-glucopyranoside, and isochlorogenic acid B were key small molecule components that affected activities. In summary, the extracts of CMF can be regarded as an excellent antioxidant and anti-glycosylation agent.

In this study, the polysaccharides of Coreopsis tinctoria buds (CTBPs) were extracted by hot water, ultrasound, alkali solution, and acid solution, and the four kinds of extracted polysaccharides were denoted Hw, Ultra, Al, and Ac. Then, the Hw were degraded by ultrasound, an alkali solution, and an acid solution, and the three resultant kinds of polysaccharides were denoted Ultra-Post-proc, Al-Post-proc, and Ac-Post-proc. The study comprehensively compared and analyzed the physical and chemical characteristics, structural properties, and in vitro activities of each polysaccharide. The extraction and treatment methods significantly affected the chemical composition, molecular weight (Mw) and potential of the CTBPs. The contents of carbohydrates, total phenol, and protein in Al were the highest, at 78.79 ± 0.62%, 81.69 ± 0.70 mg GAE/g and 4.82 ± 0.10%, respectively. The different methods did not change the monosaccharide composition of CTBPs, but affected the monosaccharide proportion and reduced the Mw of CTBPs. The absolute zeta potential value of Al was the highest, indicating that the solution was the most stable. CTBPs had the characteristic structure of polysaccharides, and Al-Post-proc had a triple helix structure. Additionally, CTBPs also had good water and oil holding abilities, as well as bile acid binding ability. CTBPs displayed good activity in vitro, among which Al possessed the best α-glucosidase inhibitory activity and the strongest free radical scavenging ability, and also well inhibited the generation of glycosylation products and protein oxidation products in the bovine serum albumin (BSA)-fructose model. These findings provide support for a theoretical basis for the application of polysaccharide from Coreopsis tinctoria bud in pharmaceutical and functional foods.