To separate or not to separate: what is necessary and enough for a green and sustainable extraction of bioactive compounds from Brazilian citrus waste

Author(s)

Zuin, Vania G. ^{[1, 2, 3]} ; Ramin, Luize Z. ^[2] ; Segatto, Mateus L. ^[2] ; Stahl, Aylon M. ^[2] ; Zanotti, Karine ^[2] ; Forim, Moacir R. ^[2] ; da Silva, Maria Fatima das Gracas F. ^[2] ; Fernandes, Joao Batista ^[2]

Affiliation

^[1] Univ York, Green Chem Ctr Excellence, York YO10 5DD, N Yorkshire - England

^[2] Univ Fed Sao Carlos, Dept Chem, Rod Washington Luis, Km 235, BR-13565905 Sao Carlos - Brazil

^[3] Leuphana Univ, Inst Sustainable & Environm Chem, Univ Allee 1, D-21335 Luneburg - Germany

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: Pure and Applied Chemistry; v. 93, n. 1, p. 13-27, JAN 2021.
• Web of Science Citations: 0

Abstract

Increasing demands to obtain chemicals via greener and more sustainable materials and processes introduces concepts that should be considered and applied from lab to larger scales. Obtaining bioactive chemicals from agro-industrial non-food biomass waste can combine benign techniques and bio-circular economy to reach this goal. After extraction, evaluating profitability and environmental impacts to decide whether separation - and to what extent - is necessary or not is indispensable. This could be integrated into an approach known as sufficiency, as an important criterion for sustainability. From this perspective, Brazil's annual generation of 8 million tons of orange waste is relevant, since citrus waste has large amounts of highvalue compounds, such as pectin, D-limonene and flavonoids. This case study aimed at developing and comparing green and sustainable analytical methods to obtain flavonoids from orange peel. Homogenizer, ultrasound and microwave-assisted extractions were employed using chemometric tools, considering time, sample/solvent ratio, temperature and ethanol concentration as variables to obtain extracts containing hesperidin, naringenin, hesperetin and nobiletin. The bioactive flavonoids were determined by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC-UV). Microwave extraction was the most efficient method for obtaining the majority of flavonoids studied, six times more for hesperidin. Moreover, orange waste from different farming models showed diverse chemical profiles showing the importance of this alternative in natural product resources. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 12/25299-6 - Integrated studies for leaf cutting control
• Grantee: João Batista Fernandes
• Support Opportunities: Research Projects - Thematic Grants
• FAPESP's process: 19/08389-0 - Development and application of methods for the green and sustainable extraction of bioactive phenolic compounds derived from mango waste
• Grantee: Karine Zanotti
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• FAPESP's process: 14/50827-1 - From orange waste to chemicals: contributions of an integrated biorefinary approach towards sustainable development in Brazil
• Grantee: João Batista Fernandes
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• FAPESP's process: 18/11409-0 - Reuse of agro-industrial fruit residue from conventional and organic agriculture: green and sustainable extraction methods for bioactive compounds
• Grantee: Mateus Lodi Segatto
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate (Direct)
• FAPESP's process: 17/25015-1 - Design and application of green methods for the extraction of high value-added organic compounds from agro-industrial residues
• Grantee: Vânia Gomes Zuin Zeidler
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants