VARIABILITY OF THE CONTENT OF FLAVONOIDS AND POLYSACCHARIDES OF BIDENS CERNUA HERB.

The aim of the research was to study the variability of the content of polysaccharides and flavonoids of Bidens cernua herb, depending on the terms of harvesting, drying conditions and place of growth on the territory of the Republic of Belarus. It was shown that the maximum polysaccharide content was observed in the phase of budding and mass flowering of the plant. Unlike polysaccharides, the content of flavonoids in the budding phase was significantly lower than in the mass flowering phase (p<0.05), which accounts for the maximum content of flavonoids, and in particular, luteolin-7-O-glucoside. The highest polysaccharide content was noted for raw plant materials undergone natural drying or at 40 and 60 °C without ventilation. An increase in the drying temperature or the use of ventilation during drying led to a significant decrease in the content of this group of biologically active substances. The content of flavonoids of Bidens cernua herb, dried at elevated temperature with ventilation, regardless of the drying temperature used, was higher than the content of this group of biologically active substances in comparison with samples of raw plant materials subjected to natural drying (p<0.05). A higher flavonoid content was also noted for Bidens cernua herb, dried without ventilation at 40 and 60 °C. The content of polysaccharides and flavonoids of Bidens cernua herb, depending on the harvesting region, varied between 35.64–90.52 mg/g and 23.11–49.86 mg/g, respectively, and was most dependent on the amount of precipitation per year region. Based on the results obtained, it is recommended to harvest Bidens cernua herb during mass flowering and to dry at 40 °C without ventilation.