Obtenção de compostos bioativos de resíduos de abacaxi (Ananas comosus L. Merril ) utilizando tecnologia de extração assistida por ultrassom

Abstract

The processing of pineapple (Ananas comosus (L.) Merrill) generates large volumes of waste, representing an underexplored source of bioactive compounds with antioxidant potential. In this study, ultrasound-assisted extraction was evaluated as a strategy for recovering these compounds from the Pérola cultivar. The variables temperature, solid-to-liquid ratio, and ethanol concentration were analyzed using a 2³ factorial design, along with the quantification of reducing sugars obtained during the washing step. The extracts were evaluated for the dependent variables total phenolic content (TPC), total antioxidant activity (TAA), and phenolic profile by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The results showed that the solid-to-liquid ratio and ethanol concentration were the most relevant variables for increasing TPC and TAA, while temperature exhibited a negative effect under certain conditions. The best yields were achieved with higher water content and lower ethanol content, reaching up to 34 mg GAE/g for TPC and 1.82 mg TE/g for TAA. HPLC analysis confirmed the presence of compounds such as vanillin, caffeic acid, p-coumaric acid, and ferulic acid under the optimized conditions. The washing step removed a significant amount of reducing sugars, with 2.23 g/L of glucose and 3.49 g/L of xylose in the peel, and 0.440 g/L of glucose and 0.618 g/L of xylose in the crown. Overall, the results demonstrate that pineapple residues have strong potential for application in bioactive products, reinforcing the relevance of ultrasound-assisted extraction as an efficient and sustainable technique capable of adding value to a widely available residue.