Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 17, 2025
09:48
Employing Pressurized Hot Water Extraction PHWE to Explore Natural Products Chemistry in the Undergraduate Laboratory
Published on: November 7, 2018
14.5K
Phenolic extraction from prickly pear peels using deep eutectic solvents with macrocyclic enhancers
Georgia D Ioannou1, Olga Christodoulou1, Andria Sofroniou1
1Department of Chemistry, University of Cyprus, 1678 Nicosia, Cyprus.
Food Chemistry
|July 3, 2025
Summary
Prickly pear peels, a waste product, can be sustainably valorized for phenolic antioxidants using eco-friendly extraction. This method enhances recovery and enables sample classification by origin.
Area of Science:
- Agro-waste valorization
- Green chemistry
- Natural product chemistry
Background:
- Prickly pear peels are agro-waste rich in phenolic compounds.
- Traditional extraction methods are often inefficient and environmentally harmful.
- Need for sustainable methods to recover valuable antioxidants from plant byproducts.
Purpose of the Study:
- To valorize prickly pear peels by extracting phenolic antioxidants using an eco-friendly method.
- To optimize the extraction process using Natural Deep Eutectic Solvents (NaDESs) and ultrasound-assisted extraction.
- To investigate the use of macrocyclic additives (cyclodextrins and cyclofructans) to enhance extraction efficiency.
Main Methods:
- Optimization of NaDESs-assisted extraction using response surface methodology.
- Identification and quantification of phenolic compounds via High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC).
- Evaluation of macrocyclic additives (cyclodextrins, cyclofructans) for improved extraction.
- Assessment of method greenness and NaDES recyclability using AGREE metrics.
- Chemometric analysis for sample classification based on phenolic profiles.
Main Results:
- Optimized phenolic recovery of 80% using choline chloride-citric acid NaDES, 30 mL/g solvent-to-solid ratio, and 16-min extraction time.
- Identified key phenolics: catechin, myricetin, rutin, and gallic acid.
- Demonstrated improved extraction efficiency with macrocyclic additives, including cyclofructans for the first time.
- Validated method greenness and NaDES recyclability.
- Successfully classified samples by botanical and geographical origin using phenolic profiles.
Conclusions:
- An efficient and sustainable strategy for recovering valuable phenolic antioxidants from prickly pear peels was developed.
- The optimized eco-friendly extraction method shows potential for natural product authentication, traceability, and development.
- Incorporation of macrocyclic additives offers a novel approach to enhance phenolic compound recovery.
Keywords:
CyclodextrinCyclofructanGreen solvent recoveryMacrocyclic additivesMultivariate analysisNatural deep eutectic solventsPhenolic compoundsUltrasound-assisted extraction
