Bioactive compounds and antioxidant potential for polyphenol-rich cocoa extract obtained by agroindustrial residue.

Processing of cocoa (Theobroma cacao L.) beans responsible for agricultural exports leads to large amounts of solid waste that were discarded, however, this one presents high contents of metabolites with biological activities. The major objective of this study was to valorise cocoa agroindustrial residue obtained by hydraulic pressing for extract rich in antioxidants. For it, the centesimal composition of residue was investigated, the green extraction was carried out from the residue after, the bioactive compounds, sugar contents and screaming by HPTLC were quantified for extract. The extract has a total polyphenol content of 229.64 mg/g and high antioxidant activity according to ABTS 225.0 µM/g. HTPLC analysis confirmed the presence in the extract, residue of terpenes, sesquiterpenes, flavonoids and antioxidant activity. These results, as a whole, suggest that the extract from the cocoa residue has interesting characteristics to alternative crops with potential industrial uses.

Optimization of spray drying conditions to microencapsulate cupuassu (Theobroma grandiflorum) seed by-product extract.

Cupuassu (Theobroma grandiflorum Schum.) is a popular Amazonian fruit because of its intense aroma and nutritional value, whose lipid fraction is alternatively used in cosmetics. To preserve active principles and ensure their controlled release, extract was microencapsulated by spray drying. Influence of spray-drying conditions on microencapsulation of cupuassu seed by-product extract was investigated according to a 33-Box Behnken factorial design, selecting inlet temperature, maltodextrin concentration and feed flowrate as independent variables, and total polyphenol and flavonoid contents, antiradical power, yields of drying and microencapsulation as responses. Fitting the results by second-order equations and modelling by Response Surface Methodology allowed predicting optimum conditions. Epicatechin and glycosylated quercetin were the major microencapsulated flavonoids. Microparticles showed satisfactory antiradical power and stability at 5 °C or under simulated gastrointestinal conditions, thus they may be used to formulate new foods or pharmaceuticals.

Influence of lecithin-lipid composition on physico-chemical properties of nanoliposomes loaded with a hydrophobic molecule.

In this work, we studied the effect of nanoliposome composition based on phospholipids of docosahexaenoic acid (PL-DHA), salmon and soya lecithin, on physico-chemical characterization of vector. Cinnamic acid was encapsulated as a hydrophobic molecule in nanoliposomes made of three different lipid sources. The aim was to evaluate the influence of membrane lipid structure and composition on entrapment efficiency and membrane permeability of cinnamic acid. These properties are important for active molecule delivery. In addition, size, electrophoretic mobility, phase transition temperature, elasticity and membrane fluidity were measured before and after encapsulation. The results showed a correlation between the size of the nanoliposome and the entrapment. The entrapment efficiency of cinnamic acid was found to be the highest in liposomes prepared from salmon lecithin. The nanoliposomes composed of salmon lecithin presented higher capabilities as a carrier for cinnamic acid encapsulation. These vesicles also showed a high stability which in turn increases the membrane rigidity of nanoliposome as evaluated by their elastic properties, membrane fluidity and phase transition temperature.

Antioxidant activity and biological evaluation of olive pomace extract.

The antiradical power of the methanol extracts of olive pomace (Taggiasca cultivar) achieved by high-pressure-high-temperature reactor were investigated using ABTS•(+) and DPPH• assays. The highest antioxidant activity was quantified at 90 min of contact time and 180°C of extraction temperature (64.19 ± 0.16 µg(TE) L(-1) and 15.80 ± 0.62 µg(DPPH) µL(extract) (-1)). The extract with high-antioxidant power resulted to be effective to counteract key aspects of cellular oxidation sensitive mechanisms and inflammation associated to vascular diseases. A linear correlation (p < 0.05) between total polyphenol contents and antioxidant capacity was given by the ABTS•(+) method (R (2) = 0.9184) and DPPH assay (R (2 )= 0.7062).

Recovery of phenolic compounds from grape seeds: effect of extraction time and solid-liquid ratio.

The aim of this research was to study the recovery of phenolic compounds from grape seeds, by-products from winemaking industries, using ethanolic solid-liquid extraction. For such a purpose, the combined effects of the extraction time (9, 19 and 29 h) and the solid-liquid ratio (0.10, 0.20 and 0.30 gdw mL(-1)), were investigated (where dw = dry waste). Results demonstrated that Pinot Noir seeds had high levels of both total polyphenols (73.66 mg(Gallic Acid Equivalent) gdw(-1)) and flavonoids (30.90 mg(Catechin Equivalent) gdw(-1)), being the optimum extraction time 19 h approximately. The main phenolic compounds analysed with high performance liquid chromatography were catechin and quercetin with a maximum extraction yield obtained at 29 h (362.23 and 339.35 mg/100 gdw, respectively). Concentration of the polyphenols and their antiradical powers are demonstrated to have a significant linear correlation.