Kinetic improvement of olive leaves' bioactive compounds extraction by using power ultrasound in a wide temperature range

In this study, the effect of temperature and ultrasonic application on extraction kinetics of polyphenols from dried olive leaf was investigated. Conventional (CVE) and ultrasonic-assisted extraction (UAE) were performed at 10, 20, 30, 50 and 70 °C using water as solvent. Extracts were characterized by measuring the total phenolic content, the antioxidant capacity and the oleuropein content (HPLC-DAD/MS-MS). Moreover, Naik's model was used to mathematically describe the extraction kinetics. The experimental results showed that phenolic extraction was faster in UAE (ultrasonic-assisted extraction) than in CVE (conventional extraction), being extraction kinetics satisfactorily described using Naik model (include VAR > 98%). Besides, the total phenolic content, the antioxidant capacity and the oleuropein content were significantly (p < 0.05) improved by increasing the temperature in both CVE and UAE. Oleuropein content reached 6.57 ± 0.18 being extracted approximately 88% in the first minute for UAE experiments.