DefinePK

Abstract

A three-phase olive pomace (OP), the solid by-product originating from the production of olive oil, was investigated as a potential source of flavonoids. Flavonoids were extracted by an environmentally friendly procedure using aqueous ethanol as solvent. The flavonoid content of OP, expressed as quercetin equivalents (QE) per unit weight of dry material, was 25.28 ± 0.93 mg QE/g. To evaluate the effects of temperature (T), extraction time (E), liquid-to-solid ratio (R) and solvent composition (C) on the yield of flavonoid extraction (y), a Central Composite Design (CCD) coupled with Response Surface Methodology (RSM) was used. Statistical analysis of the results showed that T was the most influential factor, followed by E, R and C. A reduced polynomial model was developed by the stepwise regression method which provided an accurate description of the extraction process. Maximization of the response variable gave: ymax = 90.5% at T = 69.9 °C, E = 212 min, R = 36.7 mL/g and C = 43.7%.Overall, the obtained results support the use of three-phase OP as a source of flavonoids and give useful indications on the influence of process variables on their recovery.