Investigation of the Phytochemical composition fruits of Mahonia aquifolium

The paper presents a phytochemical analysis of the fruits of Mahonia aquifolium, cultivated in the North Caucasus. The qualitative composition of the fruits was analyzed using thin-layer chromatography and specific reactions. The content of flavonoids was determined using reactions: cyanidin and boron-citric acid. The content of the alkaloid berberine was identified using reagents: Dragendorff's reagent, silicotungstic acid, phosphomolybdic acid, and phosphotungstic acid. The total carotenoid content was determined using thin-layer chromatography with phosphomolybdic acid reagent. The content of ascorbic acid was identified using thin-layer chromatography with sodium 2,6- dichlorophenolindophenolate in water. The quantitative composition of the main groups of biologically active substances in the seeds and pulp of Mahonia aquifolium fruits was established. The content of ascorbic acid, total carotenoids, flavonoids, berberine, water-soluble polysaccharides, hemicellulose A, hemicellulose B, and pectin substances was determined. The use of Mahonia aquifolium fruits as an additional source of multivitamin raw materials, as well as the alkaloid berberine, is proposed.