Natural bioactive compounds from vegetable and agro-industrial by-products: a contribution to the circular economy concept

MARAULO, GASTÓN EZEQUIEL; LIONELLO, MELINA; DOS SANTOS FERREIRA, CRISTINA; MAZZOBRE, M. FLORENCIA

Zhejiang

Simposio; 5th International Symposium on Phytochemicals in Medicine and Food; 2022

International Association of Dietetic Nutrition and Safety (IADNS); Phytochemical Society of Europe (PSE); Physiological Society of Japan; Phytochemical Society of Asia (PSA)

Circular economy constitutes a global trend towards the efficient use of resources throughwaste minimisation, reduction of raw materials, and closed loops of products to benefitsociety and the environment [1]. The utilisation of agro-industrial by-products and undervaluedvegetables as sources of bioactive compounds to produce value-added ingredients by greenmethods aligns with the circular economy principles [2]. Cyclodextrins (CDs) areoligosaccharides with a truncated cone spatial geometry that can encapsulate bioactivecompounds. The use of CDs solutions for green extraction processes is currently beingstudied to promote the obtention of both hydrophilic and hydrophobic compounds in a singlestage [3]. The present work aimed to optimise a green antioxidant extraction from alperujo and Moringa leaves using aqueous β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) solutions and ultrasound assistance toincrease the efficiency of the process. Extracts of alperujo, a residue of the olive industrywith bioactive compounds [4], and of moringa leaves, a plant that grows in the Northeast ofArgentina with medicinal properties [5], were prepared. The extraction condition studied were:sample:solvent ratio (1:50; 1:20; 1:10; 1: 5 m/v), aqueous solutions of β-CD (0-15mM),sonication time (0-20 min) and stirring time (0-21h) at different temperatures (28 to 60 °C).The extraction efficiency was evaluated by measuring the total phenolic content (TPC) byFolin-Ciocalteu assay [6] and the antiradical activity (AO) by the DPPH● method [7]. Thesample/solvent ratio significantly affected the AO of the extracts, and the optimum ratio was1:20 for alperujo and 1:50 for Moringa. For both vegetable sources, the maximum TCP andAO were achieved using 15 mM BCD solutions, ultrasound for 10 min and stirring for 21 h.The increase in temperature during stirring (from 28 to 60 °C) only improved the extractionin the alperujo. The results showed the great potential of using aqueous cyclodextrin solutionscombined with ultrasound as an environmentally friendly method to sustainably obtain highvalue-added ingredients from vegetables or by-products within a circular economy.