Chemical Composition, Antioxidant, Antimicrobial and Antiproliferative Activities of Wastes from Pecan Nut [Carya illinoinensis (Wagenh) K. Koch]

This study was carried out to determine the antioxidant, antiproliferative, and antimicrobial activities of shell and husk extracts from two pecan nut cultivars (Wichita and Western). The methanolic extracts by mass spectrometry (MS/MS) were analyzed. The antioxidant activity by ABTS and DPPH methods was evaluated. Antiproliferative activity was evaluated against cervical (HeLa), lung (A549), prostate (PC-3), colon (LS180), cancer cell lines and normal retinal cell (ARPE-19) by MTT assay. Antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli by disk diffusion and macrodilution was tested. The results indicated that the phenolic compounds content and antioxidant capacity in nutshell was greater than in husk. Also, an antiproliferative effect of the nutshell extracts from both cultivars in the HeLa gynecological cell line was found. Furthermore, nutshell extracts of both varieties showed antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus. The agroindustrial waste of pecan nutshell to obtain bioactive compounds could be used.