Extraction modeling and activities of antioxidants from pomegranate marc

Abstract

To develop value-added antioxidants from the peel and seeds of pomegranate marc, a by-product after pomegranate juice processing, the effects of drying before extraction and processing parameters on the extraction kinetics and product properties were systematically studied using water as an environmental friendly solvent for the extraction. The results showed that the drying process did not significantly affect the yield, content, and activity of antioxidants from either the peel or seeds. The antioxidants extracted from the peel had higher yield and content than those from the seeds. The yield and content of antioxidants increased with reduced particle size and increased water/sample ratio and temperature, but antioxidant activity was low when extraction temperature was high. By considering the antioxidant activity and operation cost, the recommended extraction conditions were peel particle size of 0.2 mm, water/peel ratio of 50/1 (w/w), temperature of 25 °C, and extraction time of 2 min, which gave the high antioxidant yield (11.5%) and content (22.9%), and DPPH scavenging activity of 6.2 g/g. Kinetic models were successfully developed for describing the extraction processes with different processing parameters.