Abstract
Globe artichoke (Cynara scolymus L.) is considered one of the most significant sources of phenolic antioxidants in nature. However, more than 60% of its total volume is discarded for consumption purposes, making available an abundant, inexpensive and profitable source of natural antioxidants in the discarded fractions. Polyphenolic antioxidants from a South American variety of artichoke agro-industrial discards (external bracts and stems) were obtained by mild extraction processes. Best results were achieved at 40 °C, 75% of ethanol and 10 min of reaction, obtaining 2.16 g gallic acid equivalent (GAE)/100 g of total phenolic compounds (TPC) and 55,472.34 µmol Trolox equivalent (TE)/100 g of antioxidant capacity (oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC)). High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analyses determined that caffeoylquinic acids comprise up to 85% of the total polyphenolic content, and only around 5% are flavonoids. Inulin content in the artichokes residues was recovered (48.4% dry weight (dw)), resulting in an extract with 28% of inulin in addition to the aforementioned antioxidant capacity. The artichoke discard extract in a concentration of 500 mg/L produced a strong decrease in Caco-2 and MCF-7 cancer cell lines viability, whereas healthy fibroblasts maintained their viability when the extract was concentrated at 1500 mg/L. These results suggest that the artichoke extract presents a good anti-proliferative potential effect on Caco-2 and MCF-7 cells.
Highlights
Globe artichoke (Cynara scolymus L.) is a herbaceous perennial plant belonging to the Asteraceae family
This study aims to establish adequate operational conditions to obtain an extract from artichoke discards characterized in terms of phenolic compounds with antioxidant capacity (AOC) and inulin content
We aim to study its effect on Caco-2 and MCF-7 cancer cell lines, to gain further knowledge about the alternative use of this agro-industrial discard and its subsequent valorization
Summary
Globe artichoke (Cynara scolymus L.) is a herbaceous perennial plant belonging to the Asteraceae family. Processes 2020, 8, 715 of this vegetable is destined to downstream processes, mainly as a canned food [1,2,3] In this regard, only the heart and some inner bracts of the artichoke are traded as canned products, while 60–85% of the total processed dried matter of the vegetable is discarded [1,4,5,6]. Only the heart and some inner bracts of the artichoke are traded as canned products, while 60–85% of the total processed dried matter of the vegetable is discarded [1,4,5,6] This great volume of discards, comprising substantial amounts of valuable bioactive compounds, seems reasonable to be used as natural materials to make rational use of in a vast number of fields, —and for the reasons mentioned above—as functional ingredients for the food and nutraceutical industries [4,6,7]
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