No abstract

Lycopene, a non-polar antioxidant compound with important effects on human health and wide commercial applications, was extracted from tomato processing wastes using innovative hydrophobic eutectic mixtures (HEMs) replacing traditional organic solvents. HEMs were prepared using DL-menthol as hydrogen-bond acceptor (HBA) and lactic acid as hydrogen-bond donor (HBD), and the ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) was optimized using a Box-Behnken design to evaluate extraction conditions: extraction temperature (°C), molar ratio of eutectic mixture (moles HBA: mol HBD), solvent to sample ratio (volume to mass, mL/g), and extraction time (min), with lycopene extraction yield (lg/g d.w.) as the response variable. Optimization of parameters was performed using response surface methodology, and the optimized extraction conditions were determined to be 70 °C, 8:1 mol HBA/mol HBD, 120 mL/g solvent: sample, and 10 min. The experimental optimal yield was 1446.6 lg/g, in agreement with the predicted optimal yield, indicating the validity of the model. This new technique for lycopene extraction, using a HEM as extraction solvent in replacement of hazardous organic solvents, and tomato pomace as source material, represents a viable and more sustainable approach for obtaining a high value-added bioactive compound, and can contribute towards the development of greener extraction processes.

Tomato pomace, a by-product generated during tomato processing, was collected at a large tomato processing industry. The by-product was mainly constituted of tomato skin (61.5%), and presented high moisture content (66.58 g.100g wet basis). Among the nutrients, the highest content was of dietary fibre, followed by proteins and fat (50.74, 20.91, 14.14 g.100g d.w., respectively). The pomace has high in vitro antioxidation capacity, especially when measured with the TEAC assay (224.81 μmol Trolox equivalent 100g d.w.). This is due especially to the high amount of lycopene remaining in the by-product after processing (446.9 μg.g d.w). The waste was fractioned into skin and seed fractions by sedimentation, resulting in the increase of lycopene yield by 55%, when using skin fraction as the source material in place of the whole pomace. This by-product shows great potential for being used as a source of the ingredients of high nutritional value, especially dietary fibre and lycopene.

Research background. Haskap berries are one of the richest natural sources of anthocyanins and their extracts can be used for nutraceuticals and functional food ingredients. Deep eutectic solvents (DES) comprised of food-grade or generally recognized as safe (GRAS) components show promise as natural solvents, but have not been applied to haskap berries. Thus, the aim of this study was to investigate the extraction of anthocyanins from haskap berries using a DES of citric acid and d-(+)-maltose. Experimental approach. The experimental approach used ultrasound-assisted extraction with a DES of citric acid and d-(+)-maltose as the solvent to achieve a sustainable green extraction process. Response Surface Methodology (RSM) using a Box-Behnken (BB) experimental design was used to study the effect of varying the extraction temperature/°C, t/min, solvent:sample ratio (V/m)/(mL/g) and the water content in the DES,φ(water)/% (V/V) on the total anthocyanin content (TAC) in the haskap berry extracts. Results and conclusions. The optimal extraction conditions (75°C, 10 min, 50.4 mL/g and 90 % water) had a predicted TAC extraction of 21.2 mg/g dry mass (dm) which was experimentally validated with only 7.2 % error. The TAC yield and anthocyanin profiles were similar to those obtained with conventional organic solvents. Novelty and scientific contribution. This is the first study investigating the use of a food-grade DES comprised of GRAS components for the extraction of anthocyanins from haskap berries. These results indicate that the DES studied (citric acid and d-(+)-maltose) is a suitable alternative solvent for extracting anthocyanins for food-grade applications.

O objetivo deste trabalho foi produzir aguardente de cajuzinho do cerrado e avaliar suas características físicas e químicas. A aguardente obtida foi analisada quanto ao grau alcoólico, densidade, pH, extrato seco, acidez volátil, acidez total titulável, acidez fixa e a quantidade de antioxidantes e compostos fenólicos. A aguardente apresentou compostos antioxidantes nos extratos alcoólicos, oriundos do fruto in natura, melhorando a qualidade nutricional da mesma. Os resultados encontrados ficaram dentro dos parâmetros exigidos pela legislação brasileira e permitem concluir que o cajuzinho do cerrado apresenta potencial para ser utilizado como matéria-prima para produção de aguardente de qualidade. Palavras-chave: aguardente, Anacardium othonianum Rizzini, antioxidante.The objective of this work was to produce a "cajuzinho do cerrado" spiriti and to assess their physical and chemical characteristics in terms of alcohol content, density, pH, solids, volatile acidity, total acidity, fixed acidity and the amount of antioxidant and phenolic compounds. The spiriti showed antioxidant compounds in alcoholic extracts, which were obtained from the fresh fruit, suggesting an improved nutritional quality of the beverage. The results were within the parameters required by Brazilian law, allowing to conclude that the "cajuzinho do cerrado" fruit has a potential application as substrate for the production of an improved quality spiriti.