Chestnut pellicle as a new potential source of antioxidants: antioxidant activity, inhibition on cooking oil oxidation, and identification of phenolic compounds by HPLC-ESI-MS/MS

Chestnut pellicle has attracted lots of interests for its rich polyphenol content. However, little is known about the investigation of antioxidant activity of its different solvent extractions and applications in oil and oil-based food preservation. Here, we investigated the polyphenol contents of three chestnut pellicle extracts (CPEs) using different extractant, and found that chestnut pellicle ethanol extract (CPEE) exhibited the highest contents of total phenolic, while chestnut pellicle water extract (CPWE) possessed the highest contents of total flavonoid. What's more, chestnut pellicle ethyl acetate extract (CPEAE) exhibited excellent radical scavenging activity in 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and hydroxyl radical. Additionally, CPEAE significantly reduced the lipid peroxide value (PV) in rapeseed oil and lard system. Finally, HPLC-ESI-MS/MS analysis demonstrated that CPEAE mainly contained oligomers of procyanidins and glycosides. These results suggested that chestnut pellicle may be a new potential source of antioxidant and promising candidate of natural additive in cooking oil preservation and other functional foods development.

Automated summary

Chestnut pellicle, a rich source of polyphenols, has been explored for its antioxidant activity and potential applications in oil and oil-based food preservation. The study found that ethanol extract of chestnut pellicle exhibited the highest total phenolic content, while water extract possessed the highest total flavonoid content. Ethyl acetate extract showed excellent radical scavenging activity and reduced lipid peroxide value in rapeseed oil and lard system. The analysis also revealed the presence of oligomers of procyanidins and glycosides in the ethyl acetate extract. These findings highlight the potential of chestnut pellicle as a natural antioxidant and additive in cooking oil preservation and functional food development.