Pressurized liquid extraction coupled in-line with SPE and on-line with HPLC (PLE-SPExHPLC) for the recovery and purification of anthocyanins from SC-CO semi-defatted Açaí (Euterpe oleracea).

This study aimed to extract anthocyanins from dried and semi-defatted açaí pulp using green technologies based on the coupling of pressurized liquid extraction (PLE) with in-line purification through solid-phase extraction (SPE) and on-line analysis by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Critical parameters that affect the extraction efficiency and purification were investigated and optimized by response surface methodology (RSM). PLE was performed with acidified water at different pH (2.0, 4.5, and 7.0) and temperatures (40, 80, and 120 °C) at 15 MPa, 2 mL/min, and solvent-to-feed mass ratio equal to 40. SPE was optimized in a column packed with the adsorbent PoraPak™ Rxn. Different ethanol concentrations (50, 75, and 100 %) and temperatures (30, 40, and 50 °C) were evaluated for the anthocyanin's elution. The optimal conditions of the two experimental designs were determined by the RSM, firstly for PLE: 71 °C and pH 2; then using this PLE condition, the optimization of the SPE was obtained: 30 °C and 50 % ethanol. The developed PLE method provided similar anthocyanin yield to other techniques, and the coupling with SPE in-line produced an extract 5-fold more concentrated than PLE alone. Therefore, the system (PLE-SPE × HPLC-PDA) proved to be a powerful tool for monitoring the extraction process in real-time.