Improving the pressing extraction of polyphenols of orange peel by pulsed electric fields

Abstract

Abstract The influence of pulsed electric field (PEF) treatment on the extraction by pressing of total polyphenols and flavonoids (naringin and hesperin) from orange peel was investigated. A treatment time of 60 μs (20 pulses of 3 μs) achieved the highest cell disintegration index ( Zp ) at the different electric field strengths tested. After 30 min of pressurization at 5 bars, the total polyphenol extraction yield (TPEY) increased 20%, 129%, 153% and 159% for orange peel PEF treated at 1, 3, 5 and 7 kV/cm, respectively. A PEF treatment of 5 kV/cm to the orange peels increased the quantity of naringin and hesperidin in the extract of 100 g of orange peels from 1 to 3.1 mg/100 g of fresh weigh (fw) orange peel and from 1.3 to 4.6 mg100 g fw orange peel respectively. Compared to the untreated sample, PEF treatments of 1, 3, 5 and 7 kV/cm increased the antioxidant activity of the extract 51%, 94%, 148% and 192%, respectively. The results of this investigation demonstrate the potential of PEF as a gentle technology to improve the extraction by pressing of polyphenols from fresh orange peel. This procedure enhances the antioxidant capacity of the extracts, reduces extraction times and does not require using organic solvents. Industrial relevance Processing of orange fruits to obtain fresh juice or citrus-based drinks generates very large amounts of byproduct wastes, such as peels that are a rich source of polyphenols mainly flavonoids. Extraction of these compounds from orange peels is a crucial step for use of these compounds in the food and pharmaceutical industries as antioxidants. PEF-assisted extraction by pressing of polyphenols from fresh orange peels stands as an economical and environmentally friendly alternative to conventional extraction methods which require the product to be dried, use large amounts of organic solvents and need long extraction times.