Shedding light on curcumin stability.

The stability of molecular curcumin (purcumin, 1a) in solution is strongly light-dependent. Under laboratory artificial light, a relative stability is observed only at neutral pH, while more intense light and/or solar light can trigger degradation via a combination of hydrolytic and oxidative fragmentation of the heptadiendione moiety. Minor curcuminoids in commercial curcumin (purcuminoids) can improve the stability of molecular curcumin, but only under conditions of low irradiation.

Detailed Phytochemical Characterization of Bergamot Polyphenolic Fraction (BPF) by UPLC-DAD-MS and LC-NMR.

Bergamot ( Citrus bergamia) is cultivated in Southern Italy almost exclusively to produce the prized essential oil, a top note in several perfumes. The juice of bergamot, until recently poorly studied, is the object of a growing scientific interest due to its claimed activity to treat metabolic syndrome. The aim of this investigation was a detailed characterization of bergamot juice polyphenolic fraction (BPF) based on a UPLC-DAD-MS analysis complemented by preparative chromatographic separations, followed by NMR characterization of the isolated compounds.