Production and Characterization of Sumac PlantCrystals: Influence of High-Pressure Homogenization on Antioxidant Activity of Sumac (Rhus coriaria L.).

Abraham M Abraham,Camilo Quintero,Cornelia M Keck,Luis Carrillo-Hormaza,Edison Osorio

doi:10.3390/plants10061051

Abstract

Oxidative stress diseases are usually treated or prevented by using antioxidants from natural or artificial sources. However, as a sustainable source of phytochemicals, plants got a renewed interest in obtaining their active agents using green extraction technologies, i.e., sustainable extraction techniques that reduce energy consumption, use renewable sources and result in less post-extraction wastes. The high-pressure homogenization (HPH) technique was introduced into the food industry since it was invented in 1900 to homogenize milk and later to produce fruit juices with a longer shelf-life without preservatives. Recently, HPH was introduced as an eco-friendly method to nanomill plants for improved extraction efficacy without using organic solvents. In this study, sumac was used as an antioxidants-rich spice model to investigate the effects of HPH on its antioxidant capacity (AOC). Sumac was rendered into PlantCrystals by using HPH. Particle size characterization proved the presence of submicron-sized particles (about 750 nm). Thus, HPH was able to produce sumac PlantCrystals and increased the AOC of bulk sumac by more than 650% according to the ORAC (oxygen radical absorbance capacity) assay. The polyphenol and flavonoid contents showed higher values after HPH. Interestingly, the DPPH (1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl) assay also showed a well improved AOC (similar to ascorbic acid) after HPH. In fact, in this study, the PlantCrystal-technology was demonstrated to cause an efficient cell rupture of the sumac plant cells. This caused an efficient release of antioxidants and resulted in sumac PlantCrystals with a 6.5-fold higher antioxidant capacity when compared to non-processed sumac bulk material.

Highlights

Oxidative stress diseases are considered as one of the serious disorders caused by the imbalance between the free radicals and the antioxidants in the human body [1]
The antioxidant capacity (AOC)-values obtained by ORAC assay show a similar trend as the values obtained from the other assays performed in this study and confirm a significant increase in AOC for the PlantCrystals upon nanomilling
Sumac fruit was successfully rendered into sumac PlantCrystals by using a combination of high-speed stirring (HSS) and high-pressure homogenization (HPH)

Summary

Introduction

Oxidative stress diseases are considered as one of the serious disorders caused by the imbalance between the free radicals and the antioxidants in the human body [1]. This imbalance is due to the reduced biological system’s ability to detoxify the reactive intermediates or repair the oxidative stress resulted damage. Reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (ROS and RNS, collectively RONS) are responsible for this damage. RONS are reactive derivatives of cellular oxidation processes characterized by the presence of unpaired electrons in their outer shells (i.e., free radicals). —due to their antioxidative properties—there is an increased and renewed interest in using plant secondary metabolites, in pharmaceuticals and in other products, i.e., for healthcare and cosmetics

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Discussion

Conclusion