Biological Activity of the Extracts from Pecan Shelling Industry Byproducts

Abstract

HighlightsThe first study on characterization of the extracts obtained from industrial pecan nut processing byproducts.Chemical composition and biological activity of the extracts varied with type of byproduct and the pecan cultivars used in the process.Pecan shell extracts exhibited anticancer, antioxidant, and antimicrobial activity.Abstract. Industrial processing of pecan nuts produces large amounts of shells, which have economic significance for pecan growers and processors. Hence, it is imperative that valorization of pecan processing byproducts is explored. In this study, byproducts from commercial pecan shelling operations were evaluated as potential sources of biologically active phytochemicals. Shelling byproducts from Pawnee, Native, and Stuart cultivars were examined. Aqueous ethanol shell extracts were analyzed for their chemical composition using liquid chromatography quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (LC-QTOF/MS). Total phenolic content, DPPH radical scavenging capacity, anticancer activity, and antimicrobial activity of the samples were investigated. The chemical composition and biological activity of the shell extracts varied significantly with the pecan cultivar and type of byproduct stream used in the study. The presence of nut meat pieces in the byproducts resulted in high oil content in the extracts. The extract from Pawnee cultivar showed high DDPH activity, low IC50 for cancer cell lines, and high IC50 for the healthy cell line (Vero). Extracts from all cultivars had antimicrobial activity against Escherichia coli at relatively high disk loadings. This is the first study on the biological activity of extracts obtained from commercial pecan shelling byproducts. The findings of this study have significant practical implications and provide the initial data much needed for valorization of industrial pecan shelling byproducts. Keywords: Anticancer activity, Antimicrobial activity, Chemical composition, Pecan shell extract.