Extraction of carotenoid-rich palm pressed fiber oil using mixtures of hydrocarbons and short chain alcohols

Recent Advances in the Therapeutic Potential of Carotenoids in Preventing and Managing Metabolic Disorders

Carotenoids constitute compounds of significant biological interest due to their multiple biological activities, such as antimicrobial, anticancer, antiadipogenic, antidiabetic, and antioxidant properties. Metabolic syndrome (MetS) comprehends a series of metabolic abnormalities (e.g., hypertension, obesity, and atherogenic dyslipidemia) that can affect children, adolescents, and the elderly. The treatment of MetS involves numerous medications, which, despite their efficacy, pose challenges due to prolonged use, high costs, and various side effects. Carotenoids and their derivatives have been proposed as alternative treatments to MetS because they reduce serum triglyceride concentrations, promote insulin response, inhibit adipogenesis, and downregulate angiotensin-converting enzyme activity. However, carotenoids are notably sensitive to pH, light exposure, and temperature. This review addresses the activity of carotenoids such as lycopene, lutein, fucoxanthin, astaxanthin, crocin, and β-carotene towards MetS. It includes a discussion of sources, extraction methods, and characterization techniques for analyzing carotenoids. Encapsulation approaches are critically reviewed as alternatives to prevent degradation and improve the biological performance of carotenoids. A brief overview of the physiopathology and epidemiology of the diseases, including MetS, is also provided.

Natural Sources of Food Colorants as Potential Substitutes for Artificial Additives

In recent years, the demand of healthier food products and products made with natural ingredients has increased overwhelmingly, led by the awareness of human beings of the influence of food on their health, as well as by the evidence of side effects generated by different ingredients such as some additives. This is the case for several artificial colorants, especially azo colorants, which have been related to the development of allergic reactions, attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder. All the above has focused the attention of researchers on obtaining colorants from natural sources that do not present a risk for consumption and, on the contrary, show biological activity. The most representative compounds that present colorant capacity found in nature are anthocyanins, anthraquinones, betalains, carotenoids and chlorophylls. Therefore, the present review summarizes research published in the last 15 years (2008-2023) in different databases (PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science and ScienceDirect) encompassing various natural sources of these colorant compounds, referring to their obtention, identification, some of the efforts made for improvements in their stability and their incorporation in different food matrices. In this way, this review evidences the promising path of development of natural colorants for the replacement of their artificial counterparts.

Simultaneous analysis of the oxidation of solvent-extracted and cold-pressed green coffee oil during accelerated storage using 1H NMR and 13C NMR spectroscopy

Green coffee oil (GCO) extracted from green coffee beans, is known for its antioxidant and anticancer properties, and has been increasingly utilised in cosmetic and other consumer products. However, lipid oxidation of GCO fatty acid components during storage may be harmful to human health, and there remains a need to understand the evolution of GCO chemical component oxidation. In this study, proton nuclear magnetic resonance (¹H and ¹³C NMR) spectroscopy was used to investigate the oxidation status of solvent-extracted and cold-pressed GCO under accelerated storage conditions. Results show that the signal intensity of oxidation products gradually increased with increasing oxidation time, while unsaturated fatty acid signals gradually weakened. Five different types of GCO extracts were clustered according to their properties, except for minor overlapping in the two-dimensional plane of the principal component analysis. Partial least squares-least analysis results demonstrate that oxidation products (δ = 7.8-10.3 ppm), unsaturated fatty acids (δ = 5.28-5.42 ppm), and linoleic acid (δ = 2.70-2.85 ppm) in ¹H NMR can be used as characteristic indicators of GCO oxidation levels. Furthermore, the kinetics curves of unsaturated fatty acids, linoleic, and linolenic acyl groups all fit an exponential equation with high coefficients of GCO for 36 days under accelerated storage conditions. Our results show that the current NMR system is a fast, easy-operated and convenient tool for the oxidation process monitoring and quality control of GCO.

Evaluation of Techniques for Intensifying the Process of the Alcoholic Extraction of Coffee Ground Oil Using Ultrasound and a Pressurized Solvent

Ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) and pressurized liquid extraction (PLE) techniques were evaluated and compared with conventional extraction for obtaining spent coffee ground oil (SCGO). The use of absolute ethanol (ET0) and hydrated ethanol (ET6) as solvents, two levels of SCG mass ratio:solvent, 1:4 (U4) and 1:15 (U15), and ultrasound powers of 0, 200, 400, and 600 W were tested. ET0 and U15 resulted in higher extraction yields of SCGO (Y_SCGO, 82%). A positive effect of sonication on Y_SCGO was observed only for condition U4. UAE resulted in defatted solids (DS) with higher apparent density values, corroborating the increase in the amount of smaller diameter particles due to sonication. The micrographs showed changes in the surfaces of the solids from the UAE and PLE, although the crystalline structures of the DS were not altered. UAE and PLE, compared to conventional extraction, did not allow significant gains in terms of Y_SCGO and, consequently, in the number of contact stages in an extractor configured in cross-currents.

Simultaneous green extraction of fat and bioactive compounds of cocoa shell and protein fraction functionalities evaluation

This work aimed to verify the feasibility of using alcoholic solvents under atmospheric pressure for the simultaneous extraction of fat and bioactive compounds from cocoa shell (CS), a byproduct of the cocoa industry, as well as to determine the influence of processing on the characteristics of defatted solids (DS). To this end, CS fat (CSF) extraction kinetics using ethanol or isopropanol as solvents were determined at 75 and 90 °C. Relative extraction yields of flavanols and alkaloids were determined, and protein functionalities such as the nitrogen solubility index were evaluated. CSF extraction yields from 36 to 70% were obtained with the highest figures related to absolute solvents. Conversely, hydrated alcohols were suitable to extract bioactive compounds, especially alkaloids, with extraction yields up to 73%. The best values of DS functionalities were obtained with the use of isopropanol, with a foaming capacity of (34 ± 2)% and stability of (57 ± 3)%; regarding emulsifying capability, the highest value was (126 ± 2) m²/g with a stability of (53 ± 4) min. CSF with a fatty acid composition similar to that of cocoa butter and DS with interesting protein functionalities were achieved, indicating that CS can be applied in food systems.