Hops Flower Extract

Cat. No.: H1450026

Storage

Store at -20°C

Shipped In

Ice chest + Ice pads

Overview

Hops Flower Extract is the extract of Hops Flower.

Specifications

Storage

Store at -20°C

Shipped In

Ice chest + Ice pads

This product requires cold chain shipping. Ground and other economy services are not available.

Application Protocols

Item-specific tested applications

• None provided in the Product Data.

General laboratory protocols (guidance)

1. Preparing a DMSO stock for cell-based assays

• Weigh extract (e.g., 50 mg) under low light. Dissolve in anhydrous DMSO to 50 mg/mL. Vortex/sonicate until uniform. Aliquot into amber microtubes (20–50 µL) under nitrogen if available. Store at −20°C.
• For dosing, dilute stock into pre-warmed medium to reach desired concentrations, keeping final DMSO ≤0.5% v/v. Include vehicle controls. Inspect for precipitation; if present, reduce concentration or increase pre-dilution steps.

2. HPLC profiling (analytical fingerprint)

• Column: C18, 150 × 4.6 mm, 5 µm; 30°C. Mobile phase A: water + 0.1% formic acid; B: acetonitrile.
• Gradient: 40% B to 85% B over 30 min; flow 1.0 mL/min. Detection: 290–370 nm for prenylflavonoids; 314 nm for bitter acids. Inject 10–20 µL of a 1 mg/mL solution in MeOH.
• Record chromatogram as lot fingerprint; quantify markers using external standards where available.

3. Solid-phase extraction cleanup (C18)

• Condition 500 mg C18 cartridge with 5 mL MeOH then 5 mL water. Load 1–5 mL of sample (diluted in 20–40% MeOH). Wash with 5 mL water (remove sugars). Elute phenolics with 5–10 mL 80–100% MeOH. Evaporate, reconstitute for LC–MS.

Note

• Protocols are general recommendations; optimize per assay and instrumentation. Always include appropriate controls.

Biological Roles

General biological context (literature; no clinical claims)

• Botanical source: Hops (Humulus lupulus L.) cones are rich in secondary metabolites that the plant uses for defense against herbivores and microbes and for attracting pollinators via volatile oils.
• Major metabolite classes and roles:
  • Bitter acids (α-/β-acids): Polyketide-derived phloroglucinol congeners with prenyl substituents; contribute to plant defense and, upon isomerization, to bitterness in brewing systems.
  • Prenylated flavonoids (e.g., xanthohumol, isoxanthohumol, 8-prenylnaringenin): Phenylpropanoid pathway derivatives with lipophilic prenyl groups that affect membrane interactions and signaling in biological test systems.
  • Essential oils: Monoterpenes and sesquiterpenes (myrcene, α-humulene) acting as volatile attractants/repellents.
• Experimental relevance: These constituents are frequently investigated in vitro for their interactions with enzymes, receptors, and transcriptional pathways (e.g., redox balance, xenobiotic metabolism) in basic research contexts. Specific potency/efficacy depends on composition and assay system.
• Metabolism and transformation (in research settings): Prenylated flavonoids can undergo O-demethylation, cyclization, and phase II conjugation in biological models; α-acids can isomerize to more water-soluble iso-α-acids under heat/alkaline conditions.

Caveats

• Composition varies by cultivar and extraction process; confirm relevant marker levels prior to biological testing.
• For research use only. Not for human or animal consumption.

Buffer Applications

Applicability

• Hops Flower Extract is not a buffering reagent and does not constitute a defined buffer system.

Practical notes for assay buffers (general guidance)

• If using in biochemical or cell-based assays, prepare a concentrated stock in DMSO or ethanol and dilute into your chosen buffer (e.g., PBS, HBSS, cell culture media) ensuring the final organic solvent is typically ≤0.5–1% v/v.
• Monitor for turbidity or precipitation upon dilution; consider adding a small amount of solubilizer (e.g., 0.01–0.05% nonionic surfactant) if compatible with the assay.
• pH considerations: Avoid prolonged exposure to high pH, which can degrade phenolic/bitter acid components.

For dedicated buffer formulations, refer instead to Aladdin’s buffering salts and biological buffer products.

Green Alternatives

Context

• This product is itself a botanical extract; the primary sustainability considerations relate to solvent choice in your downstream processing and analysis.

Greener solvent choices (general guidance)

• Prefer bio-based or lower-toxicity solvents where compatible with your method:
  • Ethanol (bio-ethanol) vs. methanol or chlorinated solvents for dissolution and extraction.
  • 2-propanol or ethyl acetate for intermediate polarity workups instead of acetone or acetonitrile when method allows.
  • Supercritical CO2 or pressurized ethanol–water for preparative re-extraction (if applicable) versus hexane.

Comparison (literature-informed; tradeoffs)

• Ethanol/water (50–90%): Renewable, low toxicity; good for polyphenols; may co-extract sugars and requires drying; lower volatility than ACN.
• Ethyl acetate: Readily biodegradable; moderate polarity; limited for highly nonpolar terpenes and poorly for very polar phenolics.
• Supercritical CO2: Excellent for nonpolar terpenes/resins; solvent-free residues; higher capital/energy costs; requires co-solvent for polar phenolics.
• DMSO: Excellent solvency and thermally stable; not “green,” but high efficiency can reduce solvent volumes; ensure proper waste handling.

Operational best practices

• Minimize solvent volumes via concentrated stock solutions and microplate workflows.
• Use closed systems and cold traps to limit VOC emissions.
• Document and optimize method greenness with metrics (e.g., PMI, EHS solvent guides) to guide solvent substitution.

Pharmaceutical Uses

Item-specific regulatory/grade status

• No pharmacopeial status or excipient grade is provided for this item; Not specified for this item. For research use only (per Product Data). Not for use in diagnostic, therapeutic, or food applications.

General context (non-clinical)

• Botanical extracts like hops are sometimes investigated in preformulation research as complex botanical ingredients. However, use in regulated products requires rigorous standardization, identity testing, contaminant limits, and compliance with pharmacopeial or monograph specifications—none of which are implied for this item.

Formulation research considerations (general)

• Solubility enhancement strategies: Co-solvents (ethanol, propylene glycol), solid dispersions, or encapsulation (e.g., cyclodextrins, liposomes) may be studied to improve dispersion of lipophilic constituents in model systems.
• Stability: Protect from light/oxygen; include antioxidants if justified by stability data. Track marker degradation (e.g., xanthohumol oxidation, α-acid isomerization) during stress studies.
• Analytical control: Use orthogonal methods (HPLC-UV/FLD, LC–MS, GC–MS for volatiles) to quantify marker compounds and residual solvent profile.

Disclaimer

• No claims are made regarding safety or efficacy. This product is supplied strictly for laboratory research.

Physical Properties

Item-specific facts (from Product Data)

• Appearance: Not specified for this item; refer to CoA/Spec Sheet.
• Other physicochemical specifications (mp, bp, density, refractive index, UV cutoff, water/peroxide/metal limits): Not specified for this item; refer to CoA/Spec Sheet.

General properties of hops flower extracts (literature/guidance)

• Physical form: Typically a tan-to-brown powder (spray-dried) or a viscous resin/paste if solvent- or CO2-extracted; odor characteristic, bitter taste.
• Solubility profile: Mixed; prenylated flavonoids and bitter acids are sparingly soluble in water but dissolve in polar aprotic and protic organic solvents (DMSO, DMF, methanol, ethanol, acetone). Essential oil components are soluble in nonpolar solvents (hexane, MTBE) and partially in ethanol.
• Partitioning: Many constituents are lipophilic (e.g., xanthohumol cLogP ~3–4, α-acids cLogP >3; literature), while polyphenolics show limited aqueous solubility at neutral pH.
• Ionization: α-/β-acids are weak acids (pKa ca. 4.8–5.7; literature), becoming more soluble in basic aqueous media as phenolates, but prone to oxidation/isomerization.
• Stability considerations: Prenylated flavonoids can undergo light-induced isomerization/oxidation; α-acids can isomerize to iso-α-acids upon heating; essential oil terpenes are volatile and oxidizable.

Practical guidance

• For analytical work, prepare concentrated stocks in DMSO or ethanol (e.g., 10–100 mg/mL), then dilute into assay buffers with attention to final solvent % to avoid precipitation.

Quality & Grades

Item-specific quality information (from Product Data)

• Grade/Purity: Not specified for this item; refer to CoA/Spec Sheet.

How to interpret quality for botanical extracts (general guidance)

• Standardization: Extracts may be standardized to marker compounds (e.g., xanthohumol %, total prenylflavonoids, or total α-/β-acids by HPLC/UV). If no standardization is stated, composition may vary by lot; verify with CoA.
• Analytical characterization: Typical QC includes HPLC/UPLC chromatographic profile, LC–MS identity of markers, loss on drying, ash, residual solvent profile (GC), and microbial/bioburden testing for life-science use.
• Grades you may encounter: “Research grade” indicates suitability for laboratory research, not for human/animal consumption or therapeutic use. “Analytical grade” or “reference extract” implies tighter control of marker content and lower background for analytical applications. Pharmacopeial grades (e.g., EP/USP botanical articles) are not implied unless explicitly stated.
• Stabilizers: Some extracts contain carriers (e.g., maltodextrin) or antioxidants (ascorbate, tocopherol) to improve stability. Presence/level of any carrier/stabilizer is item-specific—check label/CoA.

Recommendations

• For reproducible biological assays, qualify each lot by quantifying your assay-relevant markers and retain a reference chromatographic fingerprint.
• If low UV background is critical (e.g., LC-UV), confirm residual solvent and UV absorbance baselines in the CoA or by in-house testing.

Reaction & Applications

Item-specific applications (from Product Data)

• Manufacturer Applications: Not specified for this item.

General research applications for hops flower extracts (literature/practice)

• Natural product screening: Used as a complex test article in cell-free and cell-based assays to probe biochemical pathways influenced by prenylated phenolics and bitter acids (e.g., redox-responsive reporter assays, enzyme inhibition panels). No clinical or therapeutic claims are made.
• Analytical method development: Serves as a matrix for validating HPLC/UPLC, LC–MS/MS, and GC–MS methods targeting hop markers (xanthohumol, 8-prenylnaringenin, α-/β-acids, terpenes). Useful for fingerprinting and chemometric classification of cultivars.
• Fractionation and isolation: Starting material for preparative fractionation by SPE, flash chromatography, or prep HPLC to obtain enriched fractions of prenylflavonoids or bitter acids for reference standards or mechanistic studies.
• Food/fermentation science research: Model ingredient for studying hop-derived bitterness and stability (isomerization of α-acids to iso-α-acids; lightstruck reactions) under controlled lab conditions.

Practical tips

• Pre-clear with 0.45 µm filtration before LC to protect columns. Protect solutions from light/air; add inert gas headspace when storing.
• For bioassays, record solvent vehicle %, lot number, and chromatographic fingerprint to ensure cross-study reproducibility.
• If activity-guided fractionation is planned, track activity across fractions and quantify marker recovery to decouple potency from concentration effects.

Reaction Conditions

Item-specific reaction conditions

• None provided for this item.

General laboratory procedures involving hops extracts (literature/guidance)

• Stock preparation: Dissolve at 10–100 mg/mL in DMSO or ethanol; sonicate if needed. Filter through 0.22–0.45 µm PTFE for analytical work.
• Activity-guided fractionation: Solid-phase extraction (C18 SPE). Condition with methanol and water; load aqueous-ethanolic solution; elute with water → methanol or water/ACN gradients. Collect and assay fractions.
• Preparative isolation: Flash chromatography on C18 or silica; mobile phases such as water–acetonitrile with 0.1% formic acid (for LC systems) or hexane/ethyl acetate gradients (for silica). Protect from light; keep column and fractions cool.
• Isomerization (model transformation; literature): α-acids → iso-α-acids by heating at 80–100°C in mildly alkaline solution (pH 8–10) for minutes to hours, monitored by HPLC-UV (270 nm). Avoid overexposure to prevent degradation.
• Derivatization for GC–MS: Dry aliquot, react with MSTFA (60–80°C, 30–60 min) to form TMS ethers of phenolics; inject with split mode to prevent column overload.
• Analytical HPLC conditions (example, literature): C18, 150 × 4.6 mm, 5 µm; gradient 40→85% acetonitrile in water (0.1% formic acid) over 30 min; detect at 290–370 nm for prenylflavonoids and 314 nm for α-/β-acids.

Notes

• Parameters above are representative literature conditions for method development and should be optimized for your specific lot and analytical goals.

Safety & Handling

Item-specific hazards (from Product Data)

• GHS classification, signal word, pictograms, and H-statements: Not specified for this item; refer to SDS.

General safety guidance for botanical extracts (literature/practice)

• Potential hazards: May cause skin/eye irritation or allergic sensitization in susceptible individuals. Dust may cause mechanical respiratory irritation. Some constituents are phenolic and can stain; terpenes can be volatile/irritant.
• PPE: Use lab coat, nitrile gloves, and safety glasses or face shield when handling powders or solutions. Handle powders in a fume hood or ventilated enclosure to minimize inhalation exposure.
• Incompatibilities: Avoid strong oxidizers and strong bases/acids for prolonged periods; phenolic components can oxidize. Keep away from ignition sources when using flammable solvents for dissolution.
• First aid (overview; defer to SDS): Eye contact—rinse cautiously with water for several minutes; remove contact lenses if present and easy. Skin—wash with soap and water. Inhalation—move to fresh air. Ingestion—rinse mouth; do not induce vomiting; seek medical attention if unwell.
• Special risks: Light/air can degrade phenolics and terpenes; minimize headspace oxygen, protect from light, and keep cold.
• Waste: Collect solvent solutions as flammable organic waste. Dispose of solids/adsorbents per institutional and local regulations.

Authoritative source

• Always consult the product-specific SDS and institutional EHS guidance for definitive hazard, exposure limits, and emergency procedures.

Solvent Selection

Item-specific solvent guidance

• No specific solvent recommendations are provided for this item; refer to CoA/Spec Sheet for any lot-specific notes.

General dissolution strategy for hops extracts (literature/practice)

• Primary solvents: DMSO and ethanol are broadly effective for mixed phenolic/terpenoid matrices. Methanol and acetone are alternatives for analytical prep; aqueous buffers alone often give incomplete dissolution.
• Stock solutions: Prepare concentrated stocks (e.g., 10–100 mg/mL) in dry DMSO or ethanol. Vortex and sonicate if needed. Filter (0.22–0.45 µm PTFE) for analytical use.
• Working solutions in aqueous media: Dilute organic stocks slowly into pre-warmed buffer with vigorous mixing. Maintain final organic cosolvent typically ≤0.5–1% v/v for cell-based assays to limit solvent effects; precipitation may occur if exceeded solubility.
• pH effects: α-/β-acids increase solubility in slightly basic media (pH 8–9) due to phenolate formation but may undergo degradation; minimize exposure time at high pH.
• Nonpolar fraction handling: If focusing on terpenes, n-hexane, heptane, or MTBE can be used; switch to acetonitrile/isopropanol for LC-compatible exchange.

Comparison (general)

• DMSO: Maximal solvency across classes; highest potency for dissolution; may affect bioassays at ≥0.5%.
• Ethanol: Good solvency; more biocompatible than DMSO at low %; can cause protein precipitation at higher %.
• Aqueous buffers: Poor for initial dissolution; acceptable as final diluent with organic cosolvent.

Storage & Reconstitution

Item-specific instructions (from Product Data)

• Storage conditions: Store at −20°C.
• Shipping: Shipped in ice chest with ice pads.

General best practices for this material class

• Protect from light and moisture. If supplied as a powder, keep desiccated in an amber, tightly sealed container. If a resin/paste, minimize headspace and consider inert gas overlay (e.g., nitrogen/argon).
• Aliquot immediately upon first opening to avoid repeated freeze–thaw and headspace oxygen exposure. Small single-use aliquots (e.g., 20–50 µL of concentrated stock) are recommended.
• Reconstitution guidance: For analytical or bioassay use, dissolve in anhydrous DMSO or ethanol to prepare a concentrated stock (e.g., 10–100 mg/mL). Vortex/sonicate. Filter through 0.22–0.45 µm PTFE for instrument injection.
• Working solution stability: Use freshly prepared dilutions in aqueous buffers; components may precipitate or degrade on standing. Keep on ice and shielded from light during handling.
• Freeze–thaw: Avoid multiple cycles; stability of phenolic/terpenoid constituents improves with minimal thaw time and inert atmosphere.
• Documentation: Record lot number, preparation date, solvent, concentration, and storage conditions on each aliquot.

Disclaimer

• For research use only. Refer to the item’s CoA/Spec Sheet and SDS for any lot-specific handling, composition, or stability details.

Structure & Identity

Item-specific facts (from Product Data)

• Product name: Hops Flower Extract (SKU: H1450026)
• Material type: Botanical extract (complex mixture)
• CAS, CID, InChIKey, SMILES: Not specified for this item; refer to CoA/Spec Sheet.
• Molecular formula and molecular weight: Not applicable to a mixture; Not specified for this item; refer to CoA/Spec Sheet.

General composition and structural features (literature)

• Source: Cones (flowers) of Humulus lupulus L.
• Major classes typically present: (i) Bitter acids — α-acids (humulone, cohumulone, adhumulone) and β-acids (lupulone series); (ii) Prenylated flavonoids — xanthohumol, isoxanthohumol, 8-prenylnaringenin; (iii) Essential oil terpenes — myrcene, α-humulene, β-caryophyllene; (iv) Polyphenols/tannins; (v) Minor sugars, amino acids, and chlorophylls depending on extraction.
• Structural motifs: Phenolic rings with prenyl sidechains (C5 isoprenyl units), phloroglucinol-derived bitter acids with isoprenyl substituents, and monoterpene/sesquiterpene hydrocarbons and oxygenates.
• 2D description: Predominantly aromatic phenolics bearing hydroxyl groups and lipophilic isoprenyl chains; mixed with non-aromatic terpenoids. The mixture spans polarities from nonpolar terpenes to moderately polar phenolics.

Notes

• Exact constituent identity and levels vary with hop cultivar, harvest, processing, and extraction solvent/process. For definitive identification/standardization of this item, consult the product’s CoA/Spec Sheet.

Synthetic Utility

Applicability

• Hops Flower Extract is a complex natural product mixture rather than a single synthetic building block. It is not typically used as a stoichiometric reagent in classical organic synthesis.

Utility in natural products and analytical chemistry (general)

• Source material: Serves as feedstock for isolation of prenylated flavonoids (e.g., xanthohumol, 8-prenylnaringenin) and bitter acids, enabling preparation of analytical reference materials or mechanistic probes.
• Semisynthesis/transformation studies: Xanthohumol can be converted under acidic/thermal conditions to isoxanthohumol and further to 8-prenylnaringenin (literature), offering a platform to study rearrangements of prenylated phenolics. α-Acids isomerize to iso-α-acids upon heating/alkali—useful as model transformations.
• Derivatization for analysis: Phenolic hydroxyls readily undergo acylation/silylation (e.g., MSTFA) for GC–MS profiling; bitter acids may be methylated to improve chromatographic behavior.
• Chemometrics: Provides a rich matrix for developing multivariate models (PCA/PLS-DA) to classify botanical origin or process history based on LC–MS fingerprints.

Caveats

• Reaction stoichiometry and yields are not well-defined for crude extracts; fractionation or purification of target constituents is recommended before undertaking synthetic studies.
• Composition and impurity profile are lot-dependent; confirm by HPLC/LC–MS before use.

Target Specificity

Not applicable

• This product is a botanical extract and not an antibody, enzyme, or targeted biochemical reagent. No antigen/epitope/clone/isotype information applies.

Research guidance

• If your study investigates biochemical targets (e.g., specific enzymes or receptors), determine target engagement empirically using purified reference standards from the extract and orthogonal assays (binding vs functional). Document assay conditions and lot composition for reproducibility.