Published in Scientific Bulletin. Series F. Biotechnologies, Vol. XXVIII, Issue 1
Written by Katerina PIKULI, Ariola DEVOLLI
Olive oil production generates different by-products such as olive mill wastewater and olive pomace OP, considered low-cost sources of bioactive compounds including polyphenols that show remarkable antioxidant properties. The objective of this work study was to conduct an assessment of the total polyphenol content TPC and antioxidant activity of different OP extracts recovered through liquid-liquid solvent extraction. OP samples were obtained from both two and three-phase extraction processes of olive oil production. Several solvents (water, methanol, ethanol, and n-hexane) have been used to extract phenolic compounds with ultrasound-assisted techniques (UAE). Folin-Ciocalteu assay was used to determine the TPC in olive oil pomace samples. The total antioxidant activity of phenolic extracts was evaluated using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity and phosphomolybdate assay. The highest extraction efficiency of phenolic compounds was obtained using a combination of ethanol:water (80:20). Three-phase decanter system showed higher values of TPC (0.7-0.8 g gallic acid equivalent/L extract), antioxidant activity (80-105% antiradical activity), and total antioxidant capacity (90-109% TAC) compared with the two-phase. Based on the results, OP has antioxidant qualities and may be useful in food formulation.
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