cynaropicrin
compound / compound-cynaropicrin
シナロピクリン
Cynaropicrin is a guaianolide-type sesquiterpene lactone distributed in the bracts, stems, and other parts of artichoke.
Photographs (captions in Japanese)
A flowering plant of artichoke (Cynara cardunculus var. scolymus). Cynaropicrin is a sesquiterpene lactone found in the bracts, stems, and other parts of this plant, and this is a photograph of the source plant, not of the compound itself.
Raw materialShown: Cynara cardunculus var. scolymus (artichoke)Part / state: Plant in flower
Photo: Jebulon / CC0 1.0 / original image / ledger's original image
Scope and provenance of the photo
Identification: Identified as labelled in the source. A different file from the photographs used for ingredient-artichoke-globe and ingredient-artichoke-sardegna (to avoid duplication).
Image shown: The full-size file from Wikimedia Commons. No cropping or color changes by NIGAMI LAB. For display, a WebP capped at 1200 px wide is served; the ledger's original image can be checked from the link above.
On this page (7 sections)
Reading the bitterness
Cynaropicrin is a guaianolide-type sesquiterpene lactone found in artichoke. It is summarized as being present primarily in the edible bracts, where it occurs as a central component among multiple sesquiterpene lactones, and also in small amounts in the stems. One review treats this compound as the component responsible for the typical bitterness of artichoke, but this positioning is a synthesis of multiple primary research findings and is not based on a sensory reconstruction assay that measured cynaropicrin's individual contribution.
Beyond the edible flower buds, European evaluation documents address the dried leaves (from Cynara cardunculus) handled as a raw material for medicine. These documents summarize the bitter sesquiterpene lactones as comprising 0.4% of leaf mass, of which cynaropicrin comprises 47–83%; existing reports that cynaropicrin is most abundant in young leaves are also cited. However, this represents a secondary citation within the evaluation document and has not been established by direct sensory testing to show primary contribution; this data should be distinguished as coming from a plant part distinct from the edible flower buds.
Sources for this overview
Checked for this overview: Summary of presence as a principal component in bracts and low-level presence in stems / The review's statement that cynaropicrin is the component responsible for typical bitterness, and clarification that this is not based on sensory reconstruction testing
Assessment report on Cynara cardunculus L. (syn. Cynara scolymus L.), folium
Checked for this overview: Summary of bitter sesquiterpene lactones in leaves at 0.4%, of which cynaropicrin comprises 47–83%
Follow the connections
globe artichoke →contains→ cynaropicrin
cynaropicrin →contributes to→ bitterness →can be measured separately …→ astringency
artichoke leaf →— major bitter compound→ cynaropicrin
Structured claims — open a section to read each claim's confidence, evidence and limits
Composition and content (3)
Scope: Artichoke's bracts and stem
Note: Content differs by plant part, so no single concentration figure is given.
Show data
ingredient-artichoke-globe —contains→ compound-cynaropicrinScope: The EMA assessment report on the dried leaf of Cynara cardunculus
Note: The assessment report identifies 47-83% of the leaf's 0.4% bitter sesquiterpene lactones as cynaropicrin. A secondary record states it is higher in young leaves.
Show data
ingredient-artichoke-leaf —has_major_bitter_compound→ compound-cynaropicrinScope: A literature review on the bitterness of artichoke (genus Cynara) plants.
Show data
ingredient-artichoke-leaf —has_major_bitter_compound→ compound-cynaropicrinSensory (1)
Scope: Artichoke's characteristic bitterness
Note: A review's synthesis of primary research.
Show data
compound-cynaropicrin —contributes_to→ sensation-bitter