The effect of ultrasound treatment on the extraction of lycopene and β-carotene from cherry silverberry fruits

Abstract

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of ultrasound treatment on the efficiency of carotenoid extraction from cherry silverberries. Fruits (except for the control group) were sonicated at three power levels: 200,400 and 600 W. Fruits were extracted in 95% ethyl alcohol. After extraction, the content of β-carotene and lycopene in the extract was determined by HPLC with the UV-Vis SPD-20A detector and an acetonitrile-methanol-dichloromethane (75:25:5) as mobile phase. The dry matter content of all three sonicated samples was lower than in the control sample. Sonication at 200 W significantly (p < 0.05) increased β-carotene yield (by 59%) relative to the control sample. Lycopene yield also increased significantly (p < 0.05) relative to the control group after sonication at 200 W, but further increase in power did not induce significant improvement in extraction efficiency. The results of this study indicate that ultrasound treatment at 200 W (0.25 W·cm−3) increases the efficiency of carotenoid extraction from cherry silverberries and higher power can lead to reduction of extraction efficiency.