Development of a Natural Preservative from Chestnut Flowers: Ultrasound-Assisted Extraction Optimization and Functionality Assessment

Abstract

This study was carried out with the aim of optimizing the ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) of phenolic compounds from male chestnut flowers (C. sativa Mill) to develop a bioactive extract with potential to be used as a natural antioxidant preservative ingredient in the food industry. Time (t, 1–39 min), solvent concentration (S, 0–100%), and ultrasonic power (P, 5–500 W) were used as the independent variables for a 5-level experimental circumscribed central composite design (CCCD) coupled with response surface methodology (RSM) to optimize the extraction of phenolic compounds by UAE. Regarding the variables, the three showed a significant effect on the extraction of phenolic compounds. The content of phenolic compounds (including flavonoids and tannins) and the extraction yield (extract weight gravimetrically assessed) were the response criteria for the optimization. Based on the statistically validated predictive polynomial models, it was possible to reach a maximum content of phenolic compounds at the global optimal conditions of 24 ± 3 min, 259 ± 16 W, and 51 ± 7% ethanol. Additionally, pentagalloyl-glucoside and trigalloyl-hexahydroxydiphenoyl-glucoside were the major phenolic compounds identified. The optimized extract was then analyzed for their biological properties. The bioactive potential of the chestnut flower extract obtained under these optimized conditions was evaluated using in vitro assays for antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial activity, as well as cytotoxicity and hepatotoxicity tests. The results revealed that the enriched extract has antioxidant, antitumoral, and anti-inflammatory activities without toxicity issues. Overall, this study allowed to define the optimal conditions for the extraction of phenolic compounds from chestnuts male flowers by UAE, to obtain an enriched extract with biological properties that could be further used as a natural antioxidant ingredient with applications on functional foods.

Silver Maple (Acer saccharinum L.) Leaf: A Potential Source of Antibacterial Compounds to Control Phytopathogenic Bacteria in Horticulture Crops

“…Galloyl-bis-HHDP-glucose was among the most abundant phenolic compounds in some extracts of Cytinus hypocistis L. and Hippophae rhamnoides L. with antimicrobial activity (Radenkovs et al, 2018;Silva et al, 2020). Pentagalloylglucoside was one of the two major phenolic compounds identified in an extract of male flowers of Castanea sativa with antimicrobial activity (Alaya et al, 2021). The present work strongly suggests that galloyl-bis-HHDP-glucose, quercetin-O-hexoside, quercetin-O-pentoside, pentagalloylglucoside, methylquercetin, and methylellagic acid-pentose are the main antibacterial compounds present in the SML, galloyl-bis-HHDP-glucose being the most abundant.…”

Modeling and Optimization of High-Capacity Experimental Reclaimers to Minimize the Seed and Lint Loss during Roller Ginning of Upland and Pima Cotton

“…RSM usually represents data as a polynomial with coefficients determined through least-squares regression. Surface plots drawn based on RSM models help to understand the interaction effect of process variables and product properties [14][15][16][17][18][19][20]. In recent years, genetic algorithms (GA) have gained importance in optimization due to their ability to find optimized conditions for multi-dimensional complex problems while utilizing minimal resources [21][22][23][24][25][26].…”

Biologial Activity of Plant Metabolites

“…The most common botanical cosmetic ingredients are vegetable oils, plant extracts, and essential oils (Dănilă et al, 2019). Many bioactive compounds presented in these plant-derivated ingredients, namely, phenolic acids, flavonols, anthocyanins, carotenoids, and vitamins, when isolated or in combined extracts have beneficial effects on the skin such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anticarcinogenic, and antibacterial properties (Alaya et al, 2021).…”