Anthocyanins are reported to exhibit a wide variety of remedial qualities against many human disorders, including antioxidative stress, anti-inflammatory activity, amelioration of cardiovascular diseases, improvement of cognitive decline, and are touted to protect against neurodegenerative disorders. Anthocyanins are water soluble naturally occurring polyphenols containing sugar moiety and are found abundantly in colored fruits/berries. Various chromatographic (HPLC/HPTLC) and spectroscopic (IR, NMR) techniques as standalone or in hyphenated forms such as LC-MS/LC-NMR are routinely used to gauge the chemical composition and ensure the overall quality of anthocyanins in berries, fruits, and finished products. The major emphasis of the current review is to compile and disseminate various analytical methodologies on characterization, quantification, and chemical profiling of the whole array of anthocyanins in berries, and fruits within the last two decades. In addition, the factors affecting the stability of anthocyanins, including pH, light exposure, solvents, metal ions, and the presence of other substances, such as enzymes and proteins, were addressed. Several sources of anthocyanins, including berries and fruit with their botanical identity and respective yields of anthocyanins, were covered. In addition to chemical characterization, economically motivated adulteration of anthocyanin-rich fruits and berries due to increasing consumer demand will also be the subject of discussion. Finally, the health benefits and the medicinal utilities of anthocyanins were briefly discussed. A literature search was performed using electronic databases from PubMed, Science Direct, SciFinder, and Google Scholar, and the search was conducted covering the period from January 2000 to November 2022.

Calebin-A is a curcuminoid compound reported to be present in Curcuma longa rhizome. The current study was aimed to isolate and characterize calebin-A from Curcuma caesia rhizome and its production through biotransformation approach using endophytic fungus. C. caesia rhizomes of different ages were subjected to analysis in order to investigate the age at which maximum calebin-A content is present. HP-TLC profiles, HPLC retention times and mass spectrometry detector confirmed the occurrence of calebin-A in C. caesia rhizomes of 12 to 14 months of age but not in rhizomes younger to 12 months. Furthermore, an endophytic fungus strain, EPE-10 that was isolated from the medicinal plant C. caesia was identified as Ovatospora brasiliensis based on morphological and molecular characteristics. This strain O. brasiliensis was deposited to the culture collected centre, MTCC Chandigarh, India under the Budapest treaty and was designated with the Accession Number MTCC 25236. Biotransformation process was carried out at 37 ± 0.5 °C with shaking for 7 days after addition of 0.01% w/v curcumin. Extraction of biotransformed products was done by following partition method and the extracts obtained were analyzed using HPTLC, HPLC and LCMS. The data of the study suggested that O. brasiliensis MTCC 25236 was found to convert curcumin to calebin-A in a time dependant manner with optimum conversion at 48 h. Furthermore, O. brasiliensis MTCC 25236 was found to be positive for the Baeyer–Villiger monooxygenase (BVMOs) enzyme activity which could possibly be the mechanism of this bioconversion. The results of this study for the first time indicated that the endophytic fungus identified as O. brasiliensis MTCC 25236 isolated from the C. caesia rhizome could be a possible source for naturally producing calebin-A.

The study include the establishment of pharmacognostic and phytochemical characters of Ativisha (Aconitum heterophyllum Wall. ex Royle, Ranunculaceae) and to compare them with its substitutes, Cyperus rotundus L. (Musta), C. scariosus R. Br., Cyperaceae, and Cryptocoryne spiralis (Retz.) Fisch. ex Wydler, Araceae (Country Ativisha). Morphology of the four species was compared in authentic samples collected from the field. We performed histological, histochemical, phytochemical tests, using standard protocols. HPLC studies were done on aqueous extracts of samples in a Shimadzu HPLC system and the peaks were observed at 254nm. Pharmacognostic characterization of Ativisha and others was done as completely as possible. On basis of histochemical analyses revealed the presence of alkaloid, terpenoid-alkaloid complex, lipids and calcium oxalate majorly. There was less than 50% similarity between Ativisha and the other three species in microscopic characters. There was greater similarity (87%) between the two Cyperus species. The phytochemical studies, on the other hand, showed less similarity (79.2%) between the two Cyperus species. There was greater phytochemical similarity (84.6%) between Aconitum and Cryptocoryne, which justifies the name “Country Ativisha” for the latter. Based on anatomical and histochemical analysis, structural as well as chemical parameters helpful in distinguishing Ativisha from the other three species were established. The phytochemical profiles showed that A. heterophyllum and Cyperus species have five common HPLC peaks which may explain some of their common therapeutic activities. Ativisha and Cryptocoryne show greater phytochemical similarities to one another and this explains why the latter is used in Siddha system of medicine as country Ativisha

Overlapping geographical occurrence, history of traditional use, confusion in species identification, and morphological resemblances among various species are some considerations that necessitate the importance of qualitative analysis for efficient quality control and safer botanical products. This paper provides detailed morpho-anatomies of the leaves and stems of Tinospora cordifolia, Tinospora crispa, and Tinospora sinensis, and stems of Tinospora baenzigeri. Microscopy studies of the selected Tinospora species revealed key diagnostic features that can help distinguish the closely related species of Tinospora as well as to detect any adulteration or substitution in the raw materials. HPTLC profiles of the authenticated plant materials, as well as commercial products claiming to contain Tinospora, were compared to distinguish T. crispa from other closely related species and to establish an efficient method to assess the identity and quality of the products using qualified chemical markers. HPTLC chromatograms of both plant samples and dietary supplements were compared with six reference marker compounds. The analysis revealed that borapetoside B and C were useful to identify T. crispa while tinosineside A was found to be characteristic to authenticate the T. sinensis products.

Morphine and codeine are the two principal opiates found in the opium poppy (Papaver somniferum L.) and are therapeutically used for pain management. Poppy seeds with low opiates are primarily used for culinary purposes due to their nutritional and sensory attributes. Intentional adulteration of poppy seeds is common, often combined with immature, less expensive, exhausted, or substituted with morphologically similar seeds, viz., amaranth, quinoa, and sesame. For a safer food supply chain, preventive measures must be implemented to mitigate contamination or adulteration. Moreover, the simultaneous analysis of P. somniferum and its adulterants is largely unknown. Pre- and post-processing further complicate the alkaloid content and may pose a significant health hazard. To address these issues, two independent methods were investigated with eight botanically verified and fifteen commercial samples. Microscopical features were established for the authenticity of raw poppy seeds. Morphine, codeine, and thebaine quantities ranged from 0.8–223, 0.2–386, and 0.1–176 mg/kg, respectively, using LC-QToF. In most cases, conventional opiates have a higher content than papaverine and noscapine. The analytical methodology provided a chemical profile of 47 compounds that can be effectively applied to distinguish poppy seeds from their adulterants and may serve as an effective tool to combat ongoing adulteration.