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The citrus processing industry is responsible for the generation of large volumes of waste side streams, represented principally by fruit peels. These tissues are exceptionally rich in polyphenolic bioactive phytochemicals, and there has been a great industrial interest for their valorization. The examination presented herein targeted at developing a fast and straight-forward aqueous extraction process, based on ultrasonication, for the efficacious recovery of polyphenolic compounds from waste orange peels. After an initial single-factor examination, the response surface optimization showed that a maximum total polyphenol yield of 12.81 mg chlorogenic acid equivalents (GAE) per g−1 dry mass could be achieved by setting sonicator amplitude at 80%, for 15 min, using a duty cycle of 2/2 (2 s on/2 s off). Comparison of this methodology with a stirred-tank extraction demonstrated that the ultrasonication technique was equally effective, requiring ambient temperature and considerably shorter resident time. The combination of both techniques using the ultrasonication process as a pretreatment step did not boost extraction yield, and the extracts produced had similar polyphenolic composition and antioxidant activity. However, a slight enhancement of the recovery of individual constituents was noted. It is proposed that efficient extraction of polyphenolic substances from waste orange peels may be accomplished using the present methodology, which is a low-cost (ambient temperature, short time) and sustainable (water as solvent) process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Citrus processing side-streams are largely represented by waste orange peels (WOP), and there are several techniques developed for polyphenol extraction from WOP; yet, there are a significant lack of methodologies based on non-conventional, green solvents. On this basis, this study was performed to assess a deep eutectic solvent (DES) synthesized with glycerol and sodium butyrate, for its capacity to extract WOP polyphenols. Optimization of the process was carried out using a response surface methodology, which revealed that a maximum total polyphenol yield of 73.36 mg gallic acid equivalent (GAE) g−1 dry mass (DM) could be achieved with a solvent system of DES/water (80% w/w), a residence time of 120 min, and a temperature of 90 °C. Using these settings, the polyphenol extraction from WOP with the DES/water solvent system was found to have outstanding performance compared to aqueous or hydroethanolic extraction, while the extracts generated possessed significantly enhanced antioxidant properties. The chromatographic analyses of the extracts demonstrated that the DES/water extract was particularly enriched in hesperidin (21.81 mg g−1 dry mass), a bioflavonoid with promising pharmaceutical potential. This is a first report on the use of this particular DES for WOP polyphenol extraction, which may be used to produce hesperidin-enriched extracts, by implementing the methodology developed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The valorization of red grape pomace is significant as grape is one of the most cultivated fruits worldwide and generated by-product quantities are enormous. For this purpose, numerous encapsulation techniques have been developed. However, the studies on microemulsions composed with deep eutectic solvent extracts are very limited. In this study, red grape pomace extract (RGPE) was first prepared by deep eutectic solvent extraction and characterized by HPLC analysis. Rutin, quercetin, catechin and caftaric acid were identified as the main non-pigment phenolic compounds. The RGPE was further encapsulated in microemulsions (MEs) following a low-energy approach using a mixture of low molecular weight surfactants, and the pseudo-ternary phase diagram was constructed. The physical and antioxidant stability of MEs containing 3–15 wt% RGPE was investigated for a period of 30 days. MEs were stable at an ambient temperature of 25 or 37 °C. The radical scavenging activity of encapsulated RGPE was improved up to 13% compared to the free extract. Our results indicate that microemulsions provide protection of valuable phenolic constituents especially under elevated temperature conditions and can therefore be used as systems for applications in nutraceuticals or cosmetics.

Polyphenol extracts from Moringa oleifera leaves (MoL) were obtained with a glycerol-based low-transition temperature mixture (LTTM) and a combination of LTTM with 2-hydroxypropyl β-cyclodextrin (HP-β-CD). The extracts were maintained at 4, 22 and 50 °C for 18 days and the antiradical activity (AAR) was recorded to detect modifications in the antioxidant activity of the extracts. AAR displayed a constant decline at every temperature tested, following pseudo first-order kinetics and the decay constants suggested that the presence of HP-β-CD had a protective action, slowing down AAR decline. The analysis of the polyphenolic profiles using liquid chromatography-diode array-mass spectrometry revealed that after storage for 18 days at 50 °C, the major quercetin glycosides occurring in MoL were extensively degraded. Based on the detection of protocatechuic acid in the stored extracts, putative pathways of flavonol glycoside degradation were proposed. It was concluded that the decomposition of these components was mainly responsible for the AAR decline observed.

The current examination dealt with the development of a methodology to produce quercetin, a multifunctional bio‐flavonoid, by designing task‐specific, highly acidic deep eutectic solvents, based on glycerol and natural organic acids. The purpose was to achieve a simultaneous hydrolysis of spiraeoside, the major quercetin glycoconjugate occurring in onion solid wastes, and quercetin extraction. After an initial performance screening, the combination of glycerol/oxalic acid was identified as the highest‐performing system, and further investigation showed that the most efficacious molar ratio was glycerol/oxalic acid 3:1. Further study of hydrolysis/extractions conditions suggested 30 min, at 130°C, to be the best operating conditions, giving the highest yield of 19.65 mg quercetin per grams of dry mass. The extract obtained under these conditions displayed significantly enhanced antiradical activity, compared to control extracts prepared with water or aqueous ethanol. On the other hand, results on the ferric‐reducing power were rather contradictory. It is proposed that such a methodology may be implemented to valorize onion solid wastes, for the production of extracts significantly enriched in quercetin, with increased antiradical properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Every day, more and more consumers choose to drink bottled water instead of tap water, since they believe that it is superior in quality. One of the criteria used by European consumers to choose bottled water is the geographical region of the spring. The flavor of the water is an additional factor that influences consumers' choices. As a result, determining the flavor of water is gaining popularity and is thus turning into a prominent field of study. However, studies on the potential environmental factors that affect the sensory characteristics of water (i.e., "terroir" of water) are limited. To this end, we investigated the composition of natural mineral water spring from Mount Smolikas in Greece over a two-year period to find any potential alterations in water composition. The physicochemical parameters (pH, conductivity, turbidity, color, and total hardness) of the water samples were examined, along with their content in metal ions, inorganic salts (cations and anions), and total organic carbon. Additionally, the water samples were analyzed for their content of off-odor volatile compounds (i.e., 2-methylisoborneol and geosmin) that can be naturally found in water. The study also examined the correlation of climate conditions (accumulated rainfall and mean temperature) with the parameters above using a principal component analysis and a multivariate correlation analysis. The results showed that the physicochemical characteristics of water samples complied with European regulations. Metals, anions, and cations were all below the corresponding parametric values established by the European Commission. The off-odor organic compounds, 2-methylisoborneol, and geosmin, had average concentrations of 9.4 and 2.7 ng/L, respectively. Chromium and aluminum elevated concentrations might be attributed to specific ores present near the water source, while pH, conductivity, total hardness, nitrates, and off-odor compounds levels could be fluctuated due to local climate conditions. The study revealed a good positive correlation (>0.7) between the quantity of rainfall and the level of potassium cations. Moreover, a strong negative correlation (>0.9) was observed between magnesium cations and the mean temperature of the local area. The study can be used as a benchmark for future studies to determine the terroir of mineral water. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Onion skins (OS) are a by-product of onion processing that causes both biological and environmental problems. Thus, OS could be used sustainably and as means of circular economy since they contain valuable bioactive compounds that can be used for the production of high-added-value products. This study aims to evaluate the potential antioxidant, antimicrobial, and anticancer properties of onion OS crude extracts. The extracts were prepared using different solvents (i.e., water, ethanol, and their mixtures) and evaluated for their total phenolic content and phytochemical composition, their antioxidant activity (using the DPPH radical scavenging assay, the ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) assay, and the hydrogen peroxide scavenging assay), anti-inflammatory properties, as well as for their antimicrobial (against Listeria monocytogenes, Escherichia coli O157:H7, Bacillus cereus, Enterococcus faecalis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella typhimurium, and Yersinia enterocolitica) and anticancer (against human breast cancer cells (MCF-7) and human glioblastoma cells (U-87 MG)) activity. The results revealed that the extracts contained a significant amount of phenolic compounds, ranging between 348.71 and 795.11 mg gallic acid equivalents per g of dry weight. The extracts showed promising cytotoxic effects (up to ~40%) against cancer cell lines, indicating their potential as a natural source of anticancer agents. Additionally, the extracts exhibited strong antioxidant and antimicrobial activity against the tested microorganisms. The findings of this study suggest that OS crude extracts could be a promising candidate for developing natural functional foods and pharmaceuticals. They could be used as natural alternatives for the prevention and treatment of various diseases caused by oxidative stress, microbial infections, or cancer since they are a valuable source of bioactive compounds that can be used for various applications such as food preservation, nutraceuticals, and pharmaceuticals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Grape pomace is a food industry residual material which may contain a high load of polyphenolic antioxidants and a number of methods have been implemented for their effective recovery. Nevertheless, eco-friendly processes should embrace environmentally benign and non-toxic solvents. On this basis, this study investigated the extraction of antioxidants, by employing aqueous acetic acid and citric solutions and monitoring the reducing power (PR) of the extracts. The scope was to evaluate the effect of acid concentration on the extraction yield using kinetics. The kinetic model established allowed for the credible comparison of the extraction efficiencies, achieved with acetic acid and citric acid solutions of variable concentration. The results suggested that citric acid solutions were more effective in recovering red grape pomace antioxidants. Using a 4% (w/v) citric acid solution, a maximum PR of 229.8 μM ascorbic acid equivalents per g of dry pomace could be attained. This investigation demonstrated that aqueous media used for the extraction of antioxidant compounds from food industry wastes could be significantly influenced by the acidifying agent and its concentration.

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the physical and antioxidant properties of microemulsions containing Moringa oleifera leaf extract (MLE) produced by the means of a deep eutectic solvent. Selected microemulsions containing MLE were incorporated in chocolate products to enrich them. Their color properties including CIE L*, a*, b* parameters and whitening index (WI) along with DPPH radical scavenging activity were assessed during a period of 8 months. The antioxidant activity of microemulsions depended on the oil phase used, while it was unaffected by the concentration of MLE. Samples prepared with soybean oil as oil phase containing MLE presented the highest radical inhibition percentage (I% = 26.8–27.8%). Coconut microemulsions were finally incorporated at 2 and 4% w/w concentration into chocolate products, as coconut oil is a known cocoa butter substitute. Although the incorporation of MLE microemulsions did not affect the color properties of most of the chocolates, enriched products did not exhibit superior antioxidant activity compared to control samples.

Oat bran (OB) may be regarded as food industry by-product, with a high perspective as a bioresource in the production of high-value polyphenolic substances. On this basis, the investigation presented herein aimed at (i) using 1- and 2-propanol organosolv treatment and studying the effect of an alkali (sodium hydroxide) catalyst on releasing bound polyphenols, (ii) establishing models of polyphenol recovery by employing severity and response surface methodology, and (iii) investigating the polyphenolic profile of the extracts produced. Yield in total polyphenols as a function of treatment severity was satisfactorily described by linear models, indicating that for both 1- and 2-propanol treatments, temperature and time could be used interchangeably to adjust severity. Furthermore, the 1-propanol process was found to be more efficient at lower severity compared to the 2-propanol process. The optimization using response surface methodology revealed that, under identical condition settings (t = 300 min, T = 90 °C), the 1-propanol treatment afforded a total polyphenol yield of 17.15 ± 0.51 mg ferulic acid equivalents per g−1 dry mass, whereas the 2-propanol treatment gave a yield of 14.78 ± 1.11 mg ferulic acid equivalents per g−1 dry mass. Liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry analyses showed that the extract produced from the 1-propanol treatment was significantly more enriched in ferulic acid and p-coumaric acid compared to the extract generated with the 2-propanol treatment. Moreover, the antioxidant activity of the extracts was in concurrence with the polyphenolic composition. Based on the evidence, the alkali-catalyzed, 1-propanol organosolv treatment of OB is proposed as a sustainable and efficient methodology to recover multipurpose natural antioxidants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ntroduction: Moringa oleifera is a small tree with very significant nutritional but alsopharmacological properties and various preparations from almost all parts of the plant (leaves,fruit, stems, bark, roots) are used in folk medicine for treating several ailments. This study aimedto investigating the polyphenolic burden and in vitro antioxidant properties of M. oleifera rootextracts, obtained with solvents covering a range of polarities.Methods: Lyophilised Moringa oleifera roots were extracted with solvents of increasing polarity,including ethyl acetate, butanol, methanol and water. The generated extracts were screened forpolyphenolic load and antioxidant activities, by determining the total polyphenol, total f lavonoid,total f lavanol, antiradical activity and reducing power. Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometrywas also employed to obtain some evidence regarding the nature of the main constituents.Results: The results indicated that both aqueous and methanolic extracts were the richestin total polyphenols, but the aqueous extract also exhibited high reducing power. The liquidchromatography-diode array-mass spectrometry analysis also revealed that the major substancesoccurring in the aqueous extract were relatively polar molecules, but the mass spectral data wereambiguous to assign tentative structures.Conclusion: Polar solvents, such as water, may be effectively used to recover high amounts of M.oleifera root phenolics, which possess important antioxidant properties.