Effect of Fermentation on CHEMICAL changes in Vitis vinifera Fruits used in Alcoholic Ayurvedic Formulation

Abstract

Background: Arishtas are weakly alcoholic Ayurvedic formulations prepared by fermenting the decoction of medicinal plants in an airtight sealed vessels. The presence of Vitis vinifera is considered essential to initiate the fermentation process. The fruits of V. vinifera were reported to have different polar components such as phenolics, phenolic acids, flavonoids, and flavonoid glycosides. Literature has mentioned the impact of fermentation in altering the chemical skeleton of molecules. Materials and Methods: Considering this fact, the present study was designed to understand the possible impact of fermentation on the chemical profile of V. vinifera by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) studies. Both fermented and non-fermented extract of V. vinifera was prepared by the traditional method and analyzed for chemical changes by RP-HPLC-ultraviolet method. Results and Conclusions: It was observed that the chromatogram of non-fermented extract of V. vinifera showed comparatively very few peaks as compared to the chromatogram of its fermented extract. This is probably due to the fact that the large molecular weight polyphenolics particularly flavonoid glycosides and tannins are hydrolyzed during ferat mention and degraded into small molecules of phenolics or phenolic acids. This change will modify significantly the biological activity of the fermented extracts and the final Ayurvedic formulation, particularly fermented biomedicine like Arishtas.