Myrtus communis Liquor Byproduct as a Source of Bioactive Compounds

Abstract

The fatty acid (FA), polyphenol content and evaluation of the antioxidant capacity of exhausted Myrtus communis berries (EMB) resulting from the production of myrtle liqueur were assessed. All parts of the exhausted berries exhibited high concentrations of carbohydrates, proteins, lipids and phenolic compounds. The lipid fraction contained a high amount of poly unsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), mainly represented by linoleic acid (>70%). Of the phenolic acids evaluated by liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry, ellagic acid was the most predominant (>50%), followed by gallic and quinic acids. Quercetin and quercetin3-O-rhamnoside were the most abundant flavonoids. The seed extracts showed a higher antioxidant potential than the pericarp extracts; the same trend was observed for total phenolic compounds evaluated by spectrophotometric assay. The overall high content of bioactive compounds and the high antioxidant potential of this byproduct sustain its suitability for a number of industrial applications, such as a food ingredient in novel foods, an additive in cosmetic formulations or a component of animal feed formulations.

Keywords: LC-MS/MS; antioxidant activity; fatty acids; polyphenols.

Figure 1

Scavenging of 50% of DPPH and ABTS radical by Trolox and ethanolic extracts from different fruit parts (seeds and pericarps) of exhausted myrtle berries (EMB) at different time points (0 and 30 min). Data were expressed as means ± SD of three independent experiments. Different letters (a,b) indicate significant differences (p < 0.01) between seeds and pericarps of EMB at each time point.