Study of supercritical extraction from Brazilian cherry seeds (Eugenia uniflora L.) with bioactive compounds

• Pitanga seeds are waste unused by the food industry and its composition is unknown.
• Supercritical fluid extracts were studied with respect to yield and composition.
• The higher pressures within the operational conditions studied give high yields.
• TLC revealed terpenes presence able to inhibit the DPPH radical.
• The major terpenes present in Pitanga seeds extracts were germacrone and γ-elemene.

In this study, we obtained extracts from Brazilian cherry (or Pitanga) seeds using supercritical CO2 (SC-CO2) and analyzed the volatiles profile. Seeds were placed in contact with the SC-CO2 under different conditions of pressure (P) and temperature (T). The yield, the refractive index, the presence of terpenes by thin layer chromatography (TLC) and the volatiles profile by gas chromatography with mass spectrometry (GC–MS) were determined for all the extracts. With respect to the extract yield (0.16–0.48 g/100 g), surface response analysis revealed that the greatest yield was obtained at high P and T did not affect the process, which indicated that low temperatures can be used to protect the thermosensitive substances. The presence of terpenes with antioxidant activity was detected via TLC analysis, and the GC–MS results indicated γ-elemene and germacrone as the major components and the concentration of the sesquiterpenes in the extract was influenced by the interaction between P and T.

Figure optionsDownload high-quality image (288 K)Download as PowerPoint slide