Non-targeted metabolomic studies on regeneratively grown Calendula officinalis

The cultivation of Calendula officinalis under regenerative organic agricultural practices represents a promising approach for sustainable phytochemical production. This study presents non-targeted metabolomic analyses of lipophilic extracts obtained from regeneratively grown Calendula officinalis . The metabolomic profile was assessed using Ultra Performance Liquid Chromatography coupled with High-Resolution Mass Spectrometry (UPLC-HRMS), identifying 76 bioactive compounds spanning triterpenoids, flavonoids, and polyphenols. The lipophilic extract exhibited a total triterpene content of 1.5% (w/w oil) as determined by the vanillin-sulfuric acid method, indicating a significant phytochemical contribution beyond the sunflower oil solvent. Antioxidant capacity (ABTS assay) revealed a notable Trolox Equivalent value of 2.51 mmol/L* [ Table 1 ].), highlighting the extract’s potential bioactivity. The study also monitored extract stability over eight months, oleolites remained visually stable across conditions. These findings support the role of regenerative farming in enhancing secondary metabolite accumulation in medicinal plants and reinforce Calendula officinalis as a valuable botanical for cosmeceutical applications [ 1 ] [ 2 ] [ 3 ] [ 4 ] [ 5 ]. Future work will focus on comparing conventional and regenerative crops and refining extraction protocols and bioactivity validation in cosmetic formulations. Table 1