Obtaining anthocyanin-rich extracts from frozen açai (Euterpe oleracea Mart.) pulp using pressurized liquid extraction

Açai is considered a functional food, and in addition to being a source of energy and fiber, it is a valuable source of bioactive compounds such as anthocyanins, minerals and fatty acids. In the present work, antioxidant-rich extracts from açai pulp were obtained using pressurized liquid extraction (PLE). The effects of the independent variables, including solvent type (pure ethanol and ethanol/water (50:50 v/v)), citric acid (0 and 0.3%, w/w), pressure (20 and 80 bar) and temperature (30 and 60 °C) were evaluated using a full factorial design. The extraction was affected primarily by the solvent type and the citric acid percentage. The results indicate that the maximum overall yield (X₀) was 64 ± 9 (%, d.b.) when the process was performed using ethanol (99.5%) and citric acid (0.3% w/w). The maximum total anthocyanin content and anthocyanin recovered from the raw material were 7 ± 1 (mg anthocyanin/g extract, d.b.) and 11 ± 2 (%, d.b.), respectively.