Evaluation of microwave and ultrasound hydrolysis to obtain higher value-added compounds from dragon fruit peels (Hylocereus undatus)

• Grant number: 23/02044-7
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Master's degree
• Start date: August 14, 2023
• End date: February 08, 2024
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Food Science and Technology - Food Engineering
• Principal Investigator: Tânia Forster Carneiro
• Grantee: Vanessa Cosme Ferreira
• Supervisor: Gerardo Fernández Barbero
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Engenharia de Alimentos (FEA). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: Universidad de Cádiz, Puerto Real (UCA), Spain
• Associated to the scholarship: 22/02305-2 - Evaluation of subcritical water hydrolysis in an automated reactor with in-line analysis of compounds with higher added value from pitaya peels (Hylocereus undatus), BP.MS

Abstract

The sustainable extraction of bioactive compounds from pitaya peel can be an alternative to the reduction of environmental impacts of the agri-food sector. In addition, the recovery of value-added bioproducts for application in the pharmaceutical and food industries supports biorefinery development. In this project, the optimization of green extraction methods of bioactive compounds coupled with ultrasound and microwaves will be carried out. Ultrasound and microwave-assisted extractions are evidence for being green and sustainable extraction techniques. The results could be shown that the variables of temperature or solvent composition will be more significant in the yield of betacyanins and bioactive compounds to be extracted from the plant matrix studied. In this context, this project can support the development of new sustainable extraction methods using cutting-edge technologies, which can be an alternative to developing novel methods for agri-food by-products valorization. (AU)