Exploring the Microalga <i>Euglena cantabrica</i> by Pressurized Liquid Extraction to Obtain Bioactive Compounds
2020
Nerea Muñóz-Almagro | Bienvenida Gilbert-López | Pozuelo-Rollón M. Carmen | Yolanda García-Fernandez | Carlos Almeida | Mar Villamiel | Jose A. Mendiola | Elena Ibáñez
In the present study, the chemical composition of the microalga <i>Euglena cantabrica</i> was investigated. The extraction of bioactive compounds was done using pressurized liquid extraction (PLE) at different temperatures (40–180 °C) and using green solvents (ethanol-water mixtures). A statistical design of experiments was used to optimize the maximum antioxidant capacity of the extracts by response surface methodology. The antioxidant capacity was determined through the inhibition of 2,2’-azino-bis-3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS) and 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radicals, while the chemical analyses of the extracts were carried out using different chromatographic techniques. Chlorophylls and carotenoids were analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to a diode array detector and mass spectrometry (HPLC-DAD-MS/MS) and carbohydrates by gas chromatography with flame ionization detection (GC-FID) and high-pressure size-exclusion chromatography coupled to an evaporative light-scattering detector (HPSEC-ELSD). The results showed different possibilities for the extraction conditions, depending on the desired bioactivity or chemical composition. Briefly, (i) mixtures of ethanol-water containing around 40% ethanol at 180 °C gave the best antioxidant capacity, (ii) mixtures containing around 50% ethanol at 110 °C gave the best yield of β-glucan paramylon, and (iii) the use of pure ethanol at a low temperature (40 °C) is the best choice for the recovery of carotenoids such as diatoxanthin. Summing up, <i>E. cantabrica</i> seems to be a good candidate to be used in biorefinery to obtain different bioactive compounds.
Show more [+] Less [-]AGROVOC Keywords
Bibliographic information
This bibliographic record has been provided by Directory of Open Access Journals