Desenvolvimento de um aditivo natural à base de catequina: otimização da extração e estabilização a partir de frutos de Arbutus unedo L.

Abstract

The common mediterranean ornamental strawberry-tree (Arbutus unedo l.) produces an edible reddish sweet berry that is found to be bland and tasteless unless it is consumed overripe, otherwise it is discarded or used as basic agricultural sub residue. The bioactive properties of this fruit have been reported and related with phenolic compounds, mainly flavan-3-ols, such as catechin and procyanidins, which has opened the opportunity to exploit their extraction from alternative sources. This study compares and optimizes the maceration, microwave and ultrasound extraction techniques in the recovery of a catechin extract from Arbutus unedo l. fruits and evaluate the stability of flavan-3-ols during storage and application processes. To obtain conditions that maximize the catechin extraction yield, a response surface methodology was used. Maceration and microwave extractions were found to be the most effective methods, capable of yielding 1.38±0.1 and 1.70±0.3 mg of catechin/g dry weight (dw) in the corresponding optimal extraction conditions. The optimal conditions for maceration were 93.2±3.7 min, 79.6±5.2 ºc and 23.1±3.7 % of ethanol, while for the microwave extraction were 42.2±4.1 min, 137.1±8.1 ºc and 12.1±1.1 % of ethanol. The microwave system was a quicker solution, conducting to slightly higher yields of catechin than maceration, but this one needed lower temperatures to reach similar yields. The ultrasound method was the least effective solution in terms of catechin yield extraction (0.71±0.1 mg/g at 42.4±3.6 min, 314.9±21.2 w and 40.3±3.8 %. ethanol). The stability was tested with of the catechin-enriched extract (60% flavan-3-ols and 22% catechin), obtained under the best maceration conditions, was tested. Therefore, catechin-enriched extracts were submitted to physical and chemical stability studies, considering the main affecting variables (time, temperature and pH): i) a stability study of the extracts during storage as powder system; and ii) a stability study of the extracts in simulated food environment (aqueous solution system). The measured responses were the flavan-3-ols and catechin contents, determined by hplc-dad, and the antioxidant activity of the extracts evaluated by hydrophilic assays. Mechanistic and phenomenological equations were used to describe the responses, and the optimal conditions for flavan-3-ols (including catechin) stability as powder extract during a month were ph= 5.4 and t= -20ºc; while its stability in aqueous solution remained during the 24 h of application at ph<4 and t<30ºc. These results provide useful information for: i) potential industrial use of A. unedo fruits as alternative sources of flavan-3-ols; and ii) shelf-life calculations and catechin loss predictions at specific conditions of temperature and ph. Finally, the results obtained showed a certain agreement with previous reports of catechin stability studies in powder and solution systems, but providing a new alternative source: A. unedo fruits.