Suitability of Solvent-Assisted Extraction for Recovery of Lipophilic Phytochemicals in Sugarcane Straw and Bagasse

Abstract

Sugarcane is primarily harvested to meet up to 80% of global sugar demand. Recently, lipids recovered from their biomass (straw and bagasse) have attracted much attention due to their possible utilisation in biofuel production but also by the presence of health-promoting compounds as phytosterols (i.e., improvement of cardiovascular function) or 1-octacosanol (i.e., anti-obesity). Although this fraction is commonly obtained through solid–liquid isolation, there is scarce information about how different solvents affect the composition of the extracts. This research work aimed to study whether, in sugarcane straw and bagasse samples, Soxtec extraction with widely used dichloromethane (DCM) would be suitable to recover most of the lipid classes when compared to other available solvents such as food grade ethanol (EtOH) or solvents without regulation restrictions for food and drug applications (i.e., acetone and ethyl acetate). The obtained results allow concluding that sugarcane waxes from straw and bagasse are complex lipid mixtures of polar and non-polar compounds. According to the extraction yield, the best results were obtained with ethanol (5.12 ± 0.30% and 1.97 ± 0.31%) for both straw and bagasse, respectively. The extractant greatly influenced the lipid composition of the obtained product. Thus, DCM enriched the isolates in glycerolipids (mono-, di- and triglycerides), free fatty acids, fatty alcohols, fatty aldehydes, phytosterols and hydrocarbons. On the other hand, EtOH resulted in polar isolates rich in glycolipids. Therefore, depending on the application and objectives of future research studies, the solvent to recover such lipids needs to be carefully selected.

Toward Sustainable Wax Extraction from the Saccharum officinarum L. Filter Cake Byproduct: Process Optimization, Physicochemical Characterization, and Antioxidant Performance

“…High-Performance Liquid Chromatography-Evaporative Light Scattering Detection (HPLC-ELSD). The samples were prepared to a concentration of 3 mg/mL in DCM and afterward analyzed on an HPLC (Model 1260 Infinity II; Agilent Technologies, 23 with some modifications described by Teixeira et al 18 The flow rate was set at 0.275 mL/min with an injection volume of 20 μL and the detector evaporator and nebulizer temperature was set at 60 °C with nitrogen as the nebulizing gas at a 1.20 SLM flow rate. In all performed analyses, all of the samples were injected at least in triplicate.…”

“…The derivatized samples were analyzed on a GC–MS model EVOQ (Bruker, Karlsruhe, Germany) coupled to a mass spectrometer, with a Rxi-5Sil MS column (30 m × 250 μm × 0.25 μm) at a constant flow of 1 mL/min. The carrier gas used was helium, and the GC–MS conditions were as described by Teixeira et al 18 The injector temperature was set at 330 °C with a split of 10, and the oven temperature started at 60 °C with a hold for 5 min, increasing at a rate of 3 °C/min until 330 °C and maintained for 20 min. The MS detector was operated in electron ionization (EI) mode at 70 eV, a source temperature of 280 °C, a transfer line at 300 °C, and a quadrupole in a scan range from 33 to 1000 amu per second.…”

“…The samples were prepared to a concentration of 3 mg/mL in DCM and afterward analyzed on an HPLC (Model 1260 Infinity II; Agilent Technologies, Santa Clara, CA) attached to an Evaporative Light Scattering Detector (ELSD; 1290 Infinity II, Agilent Technologies, Santa Clara, CA) using nitrogen as the nebulizing gas coupled to a Zorbax RX-SIL column (2.1 × 150 mm, 5 μm; Agilent Technologies, Santa Clara, CA). Analysis conditions were assayed as described by Abreu et al, 23 with some modifications described by Teixeira et al 18 The flow rate was set at 0.275 mL/min with an injection volume of 20 μL and the detector evaporator and nebulizer temperature was set at 60 °C with nitrogen as the nebulizing gas at a 1.20 SLM flow rate. In all performed analyses, all of the samples were injected at least in triplicate.…”

Use of Various Sugarcane Byproducts to Produce Lipid Extracts with Bioactive Properties: Physicochemical and Biological Characterization

“…The composition of the obtained sugarcane byproduct extract was studied with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS model EVOQ; Bruker, Karlsruhe, Germany) analysis following the methodology described by Teixeira et al [22], which includes a derivatization with N, O-Bis(trimethylsilyl) trifluoroacetamide with 1% trimethylchlorosilane. The equipment used included a GC-QqQ model EVOQ (Bruker, Karlsruhe, Germany) mass spectrometer, with a Rxi-5Sil MS column (30 m × 250 m × 0.25 m nominal).…”

“…Teixeira et al [22] showed that sugarcane straw and bagasse have the same group of phytochemicals, namely free fatty acids, hydrocarbons, fatty alcohols, sterols, and phenolic compounds. In this study, several chemical classes of alcohols, free fatty acids, fatty alcohols, phytosterols, hydrocarbons, organic acids, fats, sterols, sugars, and fatty aldehydes were detected in a total of 30 compounds identified.…”