Purification of Spent Hop Cone (Humulus lupulus L.) Extract with Xanthohumol Using Mesoporous Superparamagnetic Iron...

Area of Science:

• Green Chemistry
• Biotechnology
• Materials Science

Background:

• Spent hops, a byproduct of beer production, contain xanthohumol, a potent antioxidant.
• Current applications of hops are limited, with significant waste generated.
• Xanthohumol has potential applications in pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and agriculture.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a method for purifying xanthohumol from spent hops using magnetic dispersive extraction.
• To utilize iron oxide nanoparticles (IONPs) as an effective sorbent for xanthohumol isolation.
• To explore the valorization of brewing industry waste.

Main Methods:

• Spent hop extracts were prepared using ultrasound-assisted extraction with various solvents.
• Magnetic dispersive extraction was performed using IONPs.
• Hydrodynamic diameters and zeta potential of IONPs were measured using dynamic light scattering (DLS).
• Xanthohumol concentration and purity were analyzed using High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) and spectroscopic methods (DAD, FT-IR/ATR).
• Antioxidant activity was assessed using SNPAC, DPPH, and FRAP assays.

Main Results:

• Optimized conditions involved using 80% methanol extract with 865 µg IONPs/g of spent hops at room temperature for 48 hours.
• The method achieved a final xanthohumol concentration of 43 µg mL⁻¹.
• The purified extract retained 74.61% of the initial xanthohumol content.
• IONPs demonstrated effectiveness as a sorbent for xanthohumol purification.

Conclusions:

• Magnetic dispersive extraction with IONPs is an effective method for purifying xanthohumol from spent hops.
• This technique enables the recovery of a valuable compound from a waste stream.
• The purified xanthohumol has broad potential applications in medicine, pharmacy, cosmetics, and agriculture.