Characterization of botanical origin of selected popular purple Eleutherococcus tea grown in Yunnan province of China and quantification of Its anthocyanins using spectrophotometric method

Purple Eleutherococcus is a selected plant grown in high mountain in Puer region of Yunnan province, which is a rich source of anthocyanins with great potential as local vegetables and tea. However, the unknown botanical origin of purple Eleutherococcus restricted its edible value. Our objectives were to identify the botanical origin of purple Eleutherococcus by DNA marker combined with the morphological characteristics, optimaze the extration method of anthocyanins by orthogonal experiment method and determine the contents of anthocyanins in purple Eleutherococcus tea. The results revealed that the purple Eleutherococcus was more closely related to Eleutherococcus simonii through comparing the sequence alignment of ITS2. Combined with the morphological characteristics of plants, purple Eleutherococcus was finally identified and classified into Eleutherococcus simonii. Through orthogonal experiment, the optimal extraction conditions of anthocyanins from purple Eleutherococcus leaves were determined: the volume fraction of ethanol was 60%, the pH of ethanol solution was 3, and the water bath temperature was 60 °C. The ultrasonic extraction was conducted for 30 min. Our study provides scientific theoretical basis for the industrial extraction of anthocyanins and provides reference value for the further development of purple Eleutherococcus in Puer region of Yunnan province in China.