Enhancing Antioxidant Properties of Prunus spinosa Fruit Extracts via Extraction Optimization

Abstract

Prunus spinosa fruit, commonly known as blackthorn or sloe, possesses a wide range of health-promoting properties, including antioxidant and antibacterial activities. In this study, we investigated the effects of various extraction parameters, such as temperature, time, and solvent composition, on the extraction of bioactive compounds from P. spinosa fruit. Response surface methodology was employed to optimize these parameters and evaluate their impact on the antioxidant properties of the extracts. Furthermore, techniques such as ultrasound (US) and pulsed electric field (PEF) were applied, both individually and in combination, to explore their potential effects on the extraction process. The optimal extraction technique proved to be the combination of PEF and US, followed by stirring. The most suitable solvent was 75% ethanol, whereas the optimum extraction time and temperature were 30 min and 80 °C, respectively. Our findings revealed that under the optimum extraction parameters, a significant improvement in the extraction efficiency of bioactive compounds from P. spinosa fruit was achieved. More specifically, the optimal conditions, according to partial least squares (PLS) analysis, were a combination of all three extraction modes (PEF‒US‒ST), the shorter extraction time of the present study (30 min), and the corresponding higher temperature (80 °C). As expected, the presence of ethanol was considered necessary, even in an amount of 25%. The total polyphenol content was found to be 30.74 mg gallic acid equivalent (GAE)/g, the total flavonoids content 3.23 mg rutin equivalents (RtE)/g and the total anthocyanins 125.2 μg cyanidin-3-O-glucoside equivalents (CyE)/g. HPLC-DAD analysis showed that neochlorogenic acid was the polyphenol with the highest concentration (4.13 mg GAE/g) in P. spinosa fruit. The antioxidant activity of the optimized, according to PLS analysis, extract was evaluated and found to be 146.09 μmol ascorbic acid equivalent (AAE)/g determined by ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) assay, and by the radical scavenging activity (DPPH) assay was 18.56 μmol AAE/g. Additionally, the ascorbic acid was determined to be 119.4 mg/100 g. Overall, this study contributes valuable insights into the extraction optimization process and the potential applications of P. spinosa fruit in the development of functional foods and pharmaceutical products.

Investigation of Fruit Quality and Biochemical Traits of Rosehip (R. canina) Ecotypes in the Aegean Region of Türkiye

“…This study aligns with the findings of some researchers while also revealing discrepancies compared to others. It is widely acknowledged that several factors, including the plant species under investigation, genotype variations, agricultural applications, fruit maturity during harvest, post harvest storage conditions, the local climate and geographical factors, can influence the biochemical composition of horticultural crops including rosehip [57][58][59][60][61][62][63][64][65][66][67][68][69][70][71]. Kayahan et al, 2023 [71] used Rosa corymbifera, Rosa rugosa (Thunb.…”

Maximizing the Extraction of Bioactive Compounds from Diospyros kaki Peel through the Use of a Pulsed Electric Field and Ultrasound Extraction

“…The RSM was used to extract the total polyphenols (TPC), ascorbic acid, and total carotenoids with the highest yield achievable [24][25][26]. The antioxidant activity was measured using the FRAP, DPPH, and H 2 O 2 scavenging assays.…”

“…The pulse period was set to 1 ms (frequency: 1 kHz), the pulse duration to 10 µs, and the electric field density to 1.0 kV/cm. The Elmasonic P machine (Elma Schmidbauer GmbH, Singen, Germany) was kept at 30 • C, running at 37 kHz for the US treatment [25,26].…”

Seeking Optimal Extraction Method for Augmenting Hibiscus sabdariffa Bioactive Compounds and Antioxidant Activity

“…Optimizing extraction parameters was important, as it resulted in achieving the highest extraction efficiency while minimizing the utilization of energy, t, and solvents. Enhancing these parameters is crucial for minimizing the environmental footprint of the entire extraction process [45]. C EtOH selection significantly affects compound extraction [46].…”