Supercritical fluid extracts with antioxidant and antimicrobial activities from myrtle (Myrtus communis L.) leaves. Response surface optimization

• SCCO2 extraction was applied to recover bioactive compounds from myrtle leaves.
• Response surface methodology was used to optimize the extraction yield and AOC.
• The optimization parameters were pressure, temperature, and CO2 flow rate.
• Ethanol was used as co-solvent to enhance extraction yield and recovery of antioxidant compounds.
• The MIC values obtained for the extract with the highest AOC showed significant inhibitory effect against gram-positive bacteria.

Supercritical Fluid Extraction (SFE) was used to obtain myrtle leaf extracts, and to study the antioxidant capacity (AOC) and in vitro antimicrobial activity of those extracts. To optimize the SFE operational conditions, the response surface methodology (RSM) was adopted. The parameters studied were: pressure (P), within the range 10 to 30 MPa; temperature (T), between 35 °C and 60 °C and supercritical carbon dioxide (SCCO2) flow rate (Q) within the range 0.15 to 0.45 kg h−1. The results show a good fit to the proposed model and the optimal conditions obtained (23 MPa, 45 °C, and SCCO2 flow rate of 0.3 kg h−1) were within the experimental range. The predicted values agreed with experimental ones, thus indicating the suitability of the RSM model for the optimization of the extraction conditions being investigated. With those values remaining constant, ethanol as a co-solvent was then studied. There was an observed rise in AOC as the amount of ethanol increased, within the range studied (0–30 wt% ethanol). The extract with the highest AOC was tested for its antimicrobial activity against gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values obtained showed significant inhibitory effect against gram-positive bacteria.

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