H.C. Bittenbender

Kavalactone content and chemotype of kava beverages prepared from roots and rhizomes of Isa and Mahakea varieties and extraction efficiency of kavalactones using different solvents

The South Pacific islanders have consumed kava beverage for thousands of years. The quality of kava and kava beverage is evaluated through determination of the content of six major kavalactones including methysticin, dihydromethysticin, kavain, dihydrokavain, yangonin and desmethoxyyangonin. In this study, we determined contents of kavalactones in and chemotype of kava beverages prepared from roots and rhizomes of Isa and Mahakea varieties and extraction efficiency of five different solvents including hexane, acetone, methanol, ethanol and ethyl acetate. The six major kavalactones were detected in all kava beverages with these five solvents. Different solvents had different extraction efficiencies for kavalactones from the lyophilized kava preparations. The contents of kavalactones in the extracts with acetone, ethanol, and methanol did not differ significantly. Ethanol had the highest extraction efficiency for the six major kavalactones whereas hexane gave the lowest extraction efficiency.

Rapid determination of six kavalactones in kava root and rhizome samples using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and multivariate analysis in comparison with gas chromatography

Kava has been used as a folk medicine and well-known traditional beverage. This study focused on quantitative analyses of kavalactones in kava samples using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) integrated with an attenuated total reflectance (ATR) accessory and multivariate calibration analysis. The calibration set consisted of 50 standard mixtures which were made up of six major kavalactones. Derivative transformations (1st and 2nd), mathematical enhancements such as mean centering and variance scaling, and multivariate regression by partial least square (PLS) were implemented to develop and enhance the calibration model. Distinct peaks associated with the six kavalactones varied in the range between 1100 and 1800 cm−1. The PLS-2nd derivative calibration model based on the 50 standard mixtures with mean centering data processing showed standard errors of calibration (SEC) of 0.72–1.73, standard errors of prediction (SEP) of 0.98–3.52 and correlation coefficients (R2) of 0.81–0.98 for model validation. This model was used for the analysis of these kavalactones in kava samples and then compared with gas chromatography (GC). Results showed that the FTIR-predicted values were similar to GC-determined values (R2, 0.75–0.98), indicating that the FTIR method is suitable for determination of the contents of the six kavalactones in kava samples and thereby the chemotypes.

Rapid identification of bacterial isolates from aqueous kava (Piper methysticum) extracts by polymerase chain reaction and DNA sequencing.

Aim:  Fresh kava beverages have a limited shelf life under refrigerated conditions. The objective of this study was to isolate and identify bacteria in aqueous extracts of kava rhizome.