Grape Seeds Proanthocyanidins: Advanced Technological Preparation and Analytical Characterization

Area of Science:

• Food Chemistry
• Analytical Chemistry
• Green Chemistry

Background:

• Grape seed extract (GSE) characterization is complex.
• Industrial production of GSE requires robust analytical methods for quality control.
• Existing methods may not fully capture the diverse chemical profile of GSE.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe a novel green, solvent-free industrial process for GSE production (Ecovitis™).
• To develop and validate an integrated analytical approach for comprehensive GSE characterization.
• To compare the compositional profile of Ecovitis™ with a market benchmark.

Main Methods:

• Solvent-free extraction using water and tangential flow filtration.
• Integrated analysis combining Gel Permeation Chromatography (GPC) and Electrospray Ionization High Resolution Mass Spectrometry (ESI-HRMS).
• Calibration using catechin for GPC polymer quantification and direct-infusion MS for species detection.

Main Results:

• Quantification of GPC polymers up to n=30 and detection of over 70 species (polymerization and galloylation) up to n=13 via ESI-HRMS.
• Cross-validation of GPC and MS methods demonstrating reliability.
• Ecovitis™ exhibits a lower content of low-molecular-weight species and a higher content of high-molecular-weight species compared to a benchmark GSE.

Conclusions:

• The integrated GPC-ESI-HRMS approach provides a sensitive and reliable method for GSE characterization.
• The developed green industrial process yields Ecovitis™, a GSE with a distinct and potentially advantageous compositional profile.
• This analytical strategy is effective for quality control in industrial GSE production.