Subcritical Water Extraction of Nutraceutical Compounds from Citrus Pomaces

Subcritical water (SCW) extraction of citrus pomaces (CPs) was carried out, and antioxidant activity and nutraceutical compound levels of the SCW extracts were evaluated in detail. At first, CP samples were subjected to the SCW extraction under various conditions focusing on the extraction temperature and time. Consequently, the highest total phenol contents, radical scavenging activity, and reducing power were found when extraction was carried at 200 degrees C and 1.4 MPa for 60 min. Furthermore, the amounts of three kinds of polymethoxylated flavones (sinensetin, nobiletin, and tangeretin) in the SCW extracts also showed the highest values under this condition. These results indicate that SCW is an effective medium for the fast and highly efficient extraction of the antioxidants and nutraceutical compounds from CPs.