Volatile profile of Astragalus sinicus L. flowers by GC×GC-TOF-MS and evaluation of nutraceutical and nutricosmetic potential of the flower extracts

The aroma property and nutraceutical capacity are two crucial characteristics for the acceptance of edible flowers. The volatile profile of the Chinese milk vetch flowers (CMVF) was investigated using HS-SPME-GC × GC-TOF-MS for the first time. A total of 279 compounds were identified by the two-dimensional gas chromatography technology, including 46 alcohols, 45 aldehydes, 54 esters, 39 ketones, 66 hydrocarbons, 9 phenols, and 20 other compounds, with pentadecanal (14.35%) revealed to be the major volatile component. Meanwhile, The five CMVF extracts were evaluated for their phytochemical composition and biological activity. The antioxidant activity assay indicated that the ethanol extract of CMVF revealed the highest scavenging capacity against DPPH radicals with IC50 of 384 μg/mL, the ethyl acetate extracts of CMVF revealed the strongest scavenging capacity against ABTS·+ (IC50 = 140.83 μg/mL) and ·OH (IC50 = 14.25 μg/mL). In addition, the water extracts of CMVF inhibited tyrosinase activity through mixed type and the alcohol extracts of CMVF inhibited elastase activity through competitive type. The Pearson correlation analysis showed that the bioactivity of the CMVF extracts were significantly impacted by TPC (total phenolic content) and TFC (total flavonoids content). These results suggested that CMVF extracts exhibited great potential for functional foods and cosmetics utilization due to its promising nutraceutical and nutricosmetic properties. •Volatiles of Chinese milk vetch flowers (CMVF) were identified by GC × GC-TOF-MS.•The CMVF extracts revealed efficient antioxidant capacity in vitro.•The CMVF extracts exhibited strong inhibition effects on tyrosinase and elastase.•Enzyme inhibition mechanisms of the CMVF extracts have been investigated.