Abstract
Sustainable extraction techniques (ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE), microwave-assisted extraction (MAE), and pressurized-liquid extraction (PLE)) were applied and compared with conventional solvent extraction to evaluate their efficiency in maximizing the bioactive compound content and antioxidant activity of black and red currants. The influence of ethanol concentrations (30%, 50%, 70%) were studied in all extraction methods, while different temperatures (30, 50, 70 °C/80, 100, 120 °C) were evaluated in UAE and PLE, respectively. Generally, higher total phenolics were determined in black currant extracts (1.93–3.41 g GAE/100 g) than in red currant extracts (1.27–2.63 g GAE/100 g). The results showed that MAE was the most efficient for the extraction of bioactives from black currants, with 3.41 g GAE/100 g and 0.7934 g CE/100 g, while PLE provided the highest TP and TF for black currant samples (2.63 g GAE/100 g and 0.77 g CE/100 g). Extracts obtained by MAE (10 min, 600 W, 30% ethanol) and PLE (50% ethanol, 10 min, 120 °C) had the highest antioxidant activity, as determined by various in vitro assays (DPPH, FRAP, and ABTS). In conclusion, sustainable extraction techniques can be considered an efficient tool to maximize the content of bioactive antioxidants from black and red currants.
Highlights
Red (Ribes rubrum L.) and black (Ribes nigrum L.) currants are the two main berry species within the genus Ribes, which belongs to the widely distributed family Grossulariaceae [1]
For ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) and pressurized-liquid extraction (PLE) black currant extracts, the lowest Y was found at the lowest ethanol concentration (30% ethanol), while UAE extracts were found to have the highest Y obtained at the highest ethanol concentration applied (70% ethanol)
The results of this study confirm that UAE, microwave-assisted extraction (MAE), and PLE represent sustainable extraction technologies for the production of high-value extracts from red and black currants using aqueous ethanol as an extraction solvent
Summary
Red (Ribes rubrum L.) and black (Ribes nigrum L.) currants are the two main berry species within the genus Ribes, which belongs to the widely distributed family Grossulariaceae [1]. Currants stand out as fruits with by far the highest content of vitamin C [1], providing about five times higher content of this vitamin compared to citrus fruits [11] These bioactive compounds are associated with significant antioxidant properties, being able to scavenge free radicals, in particular, breaking their chain reactions and preventing the occurrence of oxidative stress in the human body. Considering their enormous importance, the effects of processing and storage on the preservation of the aforementioned antioxidants with their health-promoting properties have been extensively studied [12]
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