Subcritical water extraction (SWE) modified by deep eutectic solvent (DES) for pectin recovery from a Brazilian berry by-product

This study aims to recover pectin from the jaboticaba by-product using subcritical water extraction modified by deep eutectic solvent (SWE-DES). The extractions followed a Box-Behnken Factorial Design and the operational conditions were optimized through response surface methodology (RSM), being 122 °C, 8% DES, and a flow rate of 2 mL/min. The pectin-rich fractions were evaluated by the degree of esterification (DE), galacturonic acid (GalA) content, total carbohydrate content, in vitro antioxidant activity, and techno-functional characteristics such as water and oil holding capacities (WHC and OHC), emulsifying activity (EA), and emulsion stability (ES). SWE provided yields 1.5–1.8-fold higher than conventional extraction. In general, pectin from jaboticaba presented high methoxylation. The SWE-DES beyond increasing the pectin yield resulted in higher GalA content, antioxidant capacity, and emulsion stability than controls. Therefore, the suggested approach was efficient to recover pectin from jaboticaba by-products with potential application in food formulations.