Determination of inulin in the herbal mixtures by GC-MS method

The herbal mixtures due to the wide range of biologically active substances can influence on various links of the pathogenetic mechanism of development of diabetes mellitus and its complications. The carbohydrates, especially inulin, deserve the particular attention through their hypoglycemic, hypolipidemic, anticholesterolemic and detoxifying activities. The aim of the study was to investigate the content of inulin in the herbal mixtures No. 3, No. 4, No. 7, No. 13 and No. 19, which are used in folk medicine for the prevention and treatment of diabetes mellitus type 2 in Ukraine. The quantity content of inulin was defined by the difference between fructose as a product of enzymatic hydrolysis and fructose, a constituent of sucrose and free fructose, taking into account the empirical factor for the conversion of fructose from inulin. The carbohydrates were separated by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry after conversion into volatile derivatives as aldononitrile acetate. According to the results, the herbal mixture No. 3 contains 458.97 mg/g of inulin, the herbal mixture No. 4 – 99.21 mg/g, the herbal mixture No. 7 – 139.93 mg/g, the herbal mixture No. 13 – 203.84 mg/g, the herbal mixture No. 19 – 359.65 mg/g. The availability of inulin and its high content in the investigated herbal mixtures due to the presence of inulin-containing medicinal plants, such as Cichorium intubus roots (mixtures No. 3 and No. 13), Taraxacum officinale roots (mixtures No. 3, No. 7 and No. 19), Arctium lappa roots (mixture No. 4), Inula helenium rhizome with roots (mixture No. 7).