Determination of Total Protein and Free Amino Acid Content of ArtemisiaAbrotanum L. in the Blooming and Pre-Blooming Period

Objective: The aim of this study is to determine the total protein and free amino acid content of Artemisia abrotanum L. in two different periods, the pre-blooming and blooming periods.Methods: The Dumas and Kjeldahl methods were applied comparatively to determine the total protein amount. In addition, after the sample was extracted with water:methanol (80:20) containing 0.1% formic acid, free amino acids were determined in liquid chromatography-mass spectrometer.: By using the Dumas method, the % nitrogen content was found to be 2.10 and 2.20, in the pre-blooming and blooming period samples. The results obtained by applying the Kjeldahl method are 2.16 and 2.25, respectively. The total protein content was calculated from the nitrogen content of the plant by using a nitrogen conversion factor of 6.25. The total free amino acid content in the pre-blooming and blooming period was found to 453.41 and 606.18 mg/100 g dried plant respectively.Conclusion: Since the total protein and free amino acid content of Artemisia abrotanum L. is higher during the blooming period, it should be preferred to be harvested during this period.Keywords: Artemisia abrotanum, Kjeldahl method, Dumas method, protein, free amino acid, LC-MS/MS