Achyrocline bogotensis as a promising source for the development of novel biopreservatives of interest to the food industry

The food industry is increasingly seeking natural preservatives to prolong the shelf life. Achyrocline bogotensis has been reported to contain bioactive compounds with antimicrobial and antioxidant potential, but systematic evaluations remain limited. The objective of this study was to comprehensively evaluate the antioxidant and antimicrobial potential of A. bogotensis extracts and solvent fractions, correlate these activities with phenolic and flavonoid contents, and identify bioactive marker compounds that may support its future application as a natural biopreservative in food matrices. Extracts were obtained by maceration with 70 % hydroethanol and fractionated using hexane, dichloromethane (DCM) and water. Antimicrobial activity was determined through MIC assays against pathogenic and oral microorganisms. The antioxidant capacity was assessed using the ABTS and DPPH methods. The phenolic and flavonoid content was quantified and phytochemical markers were isolated and identified. Hydroethanolic extract and fractions inhibited Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis, Streptococcus mutans, Lactobacillus rhamnosus, Bacillus cereus, Clostridium sp., Listeria monocytogenes and Candida albicans. The DCM fraction was most active, with MIC values of 6.25 μg/μL against B. cereus; 12.5 μg/μL against B. subtilis, Clostridium sp., L. rhamnosus, S. aureus, and S. mutans; and 50 μg/μL against C. albicans and L. monocytogenes. The antioxidant activity ranged from 9.9 ± 0.3 to 56.4 ± 0.3 μg/mL (ABTS) and 15.7 ± 0.1 to 301.0 ± 2.3 μg/mL (DPPH). Phytochemical analysis identified flavonoids, glycosides, tannins, sesquiterpene lactones, carotenoids, coumarins, and steroids. Phenolics (46.8 ± 2.8–260.5 ± 22.9 mg galic acid/g) and flavonoids (26.0 ± 0.5–114.4 ± 3.5 mg quercetin/g) were quantified. 5-hydroxy-7,8-dimethoxyflavone (Javerianine) and 5-hydroxy-3,7,8-trimethoxyflavone were isolated from the hexane fraction. The DCM fraction exhibited the strongest antimicrobial activity, while the aqueous fraction had a higher antioxidant capacity, correlating with elevated phenolic and flavonoid contents. These findings support A. bogotensis as a promising source of natural preservatives.