Characterisation of betalain patterns of differently coloured inflorescences from Gomphrena globosa L. and Bougainvillea sp. by HPLC–DAD–ESI–MSn

In the present study, the betaxanthin (bx) and betacyanin patterns of differently coloured inflorescences from Gomphrena globosa L. and Bougainvillea sp. have been investigated in detail by applying reversed phase high-performance liquid chromatography–diode array detection (HPLC–DAD) coupled with positive ion electrospray mass spectrometry. Histidine-bx was found to be the predominant betaxanthin of Gomphrena globosa inflorescences. Furthermore, arginine-bx was detected as a novel betaxanthin, which to the best of our knowledge has not been reported as a pigment that occurs naturally so far. Dopa-bx was the major betaxanthin of Bougainvillea sp., although several minor betaxanthins were also present, including lysine-bx and putrescine-bx, novel betaxanthins hitherto not observed naturally. Remarkable differences in the betacyanin patterns between the purple, red and orange varieties were observed for both Gomphrena and Bougainvillea inflorescences. Hence, both the betacyanin profiles and the relative betaxanthin:betacyanin ratios determine the broad colour palette of Gomphrena petals and Bougainvillea bracts.