Ultrasound‐assisted extraction of Texas variety almond oil and in vitro evaluation of its health beneficial bioactivities

Abstract

Texas almond cultivar is a crop of significant commercial value in Greece. The present study aimed to develop a new ultrasonic-assisted extraction method for Texas almond oil based on the Folch method for laboratory use and further evaluate its in vitro antioxidant and antiplatelet, activities as health beneficial bioactivities that further highlight its nutritional value. The results showed that almond oil was quantitatively extracted at ambient temperature and 220 W ultrasonic power by hexane: Isopropanol (3:2, v/v) after 28 min with a solvent to almond ratio equal to 20. Under these conditions, the produced oil exerted antioxidant activities by the DPPH, ABTS, and CUPRAC assays equal to 1.5 ± 0.0, 1.4 ± 0.1, and 2.5 ± 0.0 equivalent nmol of Trolox per mg of almond oil, respectively. The IC50 values for antithrombotic and plasma oxidation inhibition activities were 12.80 ± 0.90 and 1.09 ± 0.03 μg almond oil/μL respectively. Practical applications Almond oil can be extracted by ultrasonic assistance in a more environmentally friendly way compared to traditional extraction methods. The produced almond oil exerts in vitro health beneficial bioactivities. The findings of this study are of major commercial importance for regional economies and provide an incentive for local food enterprises which utilize almonds since almond oil is a healthy fat choice for the production of new functional foods or the evolution of existed traditional ones.