RESUMO
This study examined potential of the extracts obtained from the byproducts generated at commercial pecan nut-shelling operations in cancer treatment. The subcritical water extracts obtained from two varieties, Native and Pawnee, were analyzed for their phenolic contents and compositions. Effects of the extracts on viability and IC50 of the human cell lines representing a broad range of cancer types, cervical, lung, skin, breast, colon and prostate cancers, were investigated. Although the effect of the temperature on the phenolic contents and compositions of the extracts was not statistically significant, the influence of the variety was extensive. The pecan shell extracts were not cytotoxic to the healthy cell line Vero in the concentration range examined. Some of the pecan shell extracts had greater efficay than Doxorubicin, a drug used in cancer chemotherapy, in reducing cancer cell viability. This study is novel and practical implications of the data generated in this study are noteworthy, because this is the first report on the beneficial effects of subcritical water extracts obtained from pecan shelling industry byproducts on a broad range of cancer cell lines. It is likely that the experimental data presented in this study will support and encourage future research on the biological pathways involved in the interactions of the cancer cells and the extracts. The findings of this study will facilitate research on downstream processing and purification of the crude extracts exhibiting high cancer cell cytotoxcity, potentially improving the final product efficacy and lead to commercial applications.
RESUMO
This study examined the chemical composition and antioxidant properties of the extracts obtained from two byproduct streams generated at a commercial pecan nut shelling operation. Byproduct stream F contained more pecan nut meat pieces and packing material than stream S, consisting of mainly hard outer shell pieces. Samples from Native variety nuts were processed using subcritical, sonication aided and microwave heating, using water as a solvent. Ferric reducing capacity (FRAP), Total Phenolic Content (TPC), 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), and ABTS [2,2'-azinobis-(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid)] assays were used to determine antioxidant properties of the extracts. The experimental results clearly demonstrated that the chemical composition of the industrial byproducts was significantly different from the hand-separated shells. All the water extracts exhibited significant DPPH, ABTS and FRAP activity. The highest antioxidant capacity was obtained with the extracts obtained via subcritical water at 80 °C. This is the first report published in the literature on the antioxidant properties of water extracts obtained from industrial byproducts from a pecan nut shelling operation processing Native variety. New data generated in this study expand our knowledge of the properties of industrial nut shelling industry byproducts and help to evaluate the potential use of the shell extracts as antioxidants in various applications.
