A glycoside flavonoid in Kudzu (Pueraria lobata): identification, quantification, and determination of antioxidant activity.

Kudzu (Pueraria lobata) foliage has been touted as a possible energy crop. High-performance liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry analysis of the methanolic kudzu foliage extracts confirmed the presence of robinin (kaempferol-3-O-robinoside-7-O-rhamnoside). Robinin accounted for 0.65 +/- 0.16% (dry basis) of kudzu biomass. Fast performance liquid chromatography (FPLC) was employed to fractionate robinin from the crude extract. The antioxidant capacity of robinin was evaluated by an oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) assay. The ORAC values of pure standard were compared with those of the extract fractions. One milligram of the FPLC-fractionated robinin generated an ORAC value of 5.15 +/- 2.00 micromol/mg of Trolox, whereas 1 mg of pure robinin generated an ORAC value of 12.34 +/- 0.45 micromol/mg of Trolox. Because of its antioxidant properties, robinin may be a flavonoid worth extracting prior to energy production.