Supercritical fractionation of antioxidants from algerian Opuntia ficus‐indica (L.) Mill. seeds
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Université de Bouira
Abstract
The recovery of active ingredients from vegetable wastes is a very attractive research field for the development of a sustainable economy. In order to revalue the waste from the extraction of oil of Opuntia ficus‐indica seeds, in this study cakes resulting from the pressing were macerated in ethanol and then a Supercritical Antisolvent Fractionation (SAF) technique was used for the recovery and enrichment of the antioxidants present in the ethanolic extract. Catechin, epicatechin, and ferulic acid, as characteristic antioxidant components, were identified and quantified by HPLC in the fractions obtained through SAF. A series of 11 SAF experiments was programed by Response Surface Methodology (RSM) to optimize the recovery of the original extract and the yield in antioxidants. Optimal SAF conditions were: 15 MPa pressure, 30 g min−1 CO2 flow rate, and 13.6 MPa, 10 g min−1 CO2 flow rate for extract mass recovery (77.96%), and epicatechin yield (3.81%), respectively.
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Practical applications
Due to the worldwide diffusion of Opuntia ficus-indica (L.) Mill. seeds, its valorization
for the recovery of bioactive compounds with potential diversified applications (food,
cosmetic, pharmaceutical, and material sectors) can represent an important source
of additional income for the producers allowing, at the same time, the production
at reduced costs of bioactive-based products. Industrial large scale implementation
of such recovery strategies requires the development of a cost-effective process.
Emerging technologies based on Supercritical Antisolvent assistance has been increasingly
investigated for this purpose. This work demonstrated the possibility of
exploiting the SAF technique to obtain extracts remarkably enriched in valuable
antioxidants from industrial wastes resulting from the obtaining of seed oils. The
operation time is short and the activity of the antioxidants contained in the starting
material preserved. This laboratory- model could advantageously be scaled to a
acomercial plant within the framework of Green Chemistry.
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Citation
Journal of Food Processing and Preservation,44