An improved method for the isolation of amarogentin, the bitter principle of yellow gentian roots

Amarogentin is well known to be among the most bitter naturally occurring compound. Either as an individual one or extracts, amarogentin is used as a food additive and as a dietary supplement. The aim of the present investigation is to set-up a convenient process to selectively isolate amarogentin from the ethanolic roots extract of Gentiana lutea. The process consisted in the treatment of an aqueous suspension of such an extract with a panel of 21 solid inorganic / organic sorbents followed by filtration, desorption, and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analyses. Among the solid materials tested, those containing Mg+2 in the frame of a lamellar structure provided very good adsorption yields in the range 86.4% - 99.9% (p < 0.05 at Student's t-test). The method we set up could be in principle useful to obtain a pure nature-derived food additive to provide bitter taste to foods and beverages.

Automated summary

The study aimed to establish a convenient method for isolating amarogentin, a highly bitter natural compound, from Gentiana lutea root extract. The process involved treatment with various solid sorbents followed by HPLC analysis, with materials containing Mg+2 showing the best adsorption yields. This method may be useful for obtaining a pure nature-derived food additive to impart bitterness to foods and beverages.