Ultrasound-Assisted Extraction of Inorganic Elements and Antioxidants from Gingerbread Cookies Using Natural Deep...

Area of Science:

• Food Chemistry
• Green Chemistry
• Analytical Chemistry

Background:

• Traditional methods for analyzing food composition can be resource-intensive.
• Deep eutectic solvents (DES) present a sustainable alternative for extracting compounds from food matrices.
• Assessing nutrient profiles and antioxidant capacity is crucial for food quality evaluation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and evaluate ultrasound-assisted extraction using DES for analyzing gingerbread cookies.
• To determine macronutrients, micronutrients, toxic metals, and antioxidant capacity in gingerbread.
• To compare the efficacy of different acidic DES for simultaneous extraction.

Main Methods:

• Ultrasound-assisted extraction with three acidic DES (xylitol-malic acid, choline chloride-malic acid, choline chloride-lactic acid) with 30% water.
• Characterization of DES using infrared spectroscopy.
• Analysis of elements (macro- and micronutrients, cadmium) by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) after microwave-assisted acid digestion.
• Evaluation of antioxidant capacity using ABTS, DPPH, and CUPRAC assays.

Main Results:

• DES containing malic acid effectively solubilized macronutrients and manganese.
• The choline chloride-lactic acid DES showed the highest extraction efficiency for zinc, iron, and copper.
• Choline chloride-lactic acid DES was selected as the most promising for antioxidant extraction based on ABTS, DPPH, and CUPRAC assays.
• The DES-based extraction method aligns with green chemistry principles.

Conclusions:

• Ultrasound-assisted extraction using DES is a viable green method for analyzing gingerbread cookies.
• Specific DES formulations are effective for targeted extraction of elements and antioxidants.
• Choline chloride-lactic acid DES shows significant potential for comprehensive analysis of food products.