Variation in content and composition of phenolic compounds in permanent pastures according to botanical variation.

Phenolic compounds contribute to the micronutrient composition of pasture, which in turn may affect animal product composition. To assess the importance and variations in content of these compounds, the polyphenolic and botanical compositions of 24 permanent pastures located in one lowland and two upland regions were studied at equivalent stages of growth. Phenolic fractions were characterized and quantified using HPLC-PDA-ESI-QToF, and the total content was determined by colorimetry over each whole pasture. A rise in altitude was accompanied by a marked increase in total phenolic content, linked to changes in botanical composition, but did not have any influence on the distribution according to molecular class. For all of the pastures, significantly different patterns due to qualitative and quantitative differences among the 92 separate peaks were observed with 31 compounds identified. The involvement of certain plants in the variations of content and composition in phenolic compounds of pastures was statistically evaluated.