High antioxidant activity of coffee silverskin extracts obtained by the treatment of coffee silverskin with subcritical water

Coffee silverskin (CS) is a thin tegument of the outer layer of green coffee beans and a major by-product of the roasting process to produce roasted coffee beans. CS extracts obtained by the treatment of CS with subcritical water at 25-270 degrees C were investigated for their antioxidant activity using hydrophilic oxygen radical absorption capacity (H-ORAC) and DPPH radical scavenging capacity assays. The antioxidant activity increased with increasing the extraction temperature and the highest activity was observed with the extracts obtained at 270 degrees C. The H-ORAC and DPPH values of the extracts were 2629 +/- 193 and 379 +/- 36 mu mol TE/g of CS extract, respectively. High correlation (R = 0.999) was observed between H-ORAC and DPPH values for the CS extracts. High correlation of the antioxidant activity was also observed with protein and phenolic contents in the extracts. The CS extracts could be useful as a good source of antioxidative materials. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.