Extraction and Industrial Applications of Antioxidants

Dear Colleagues,

The increasing consumer awareness regarding the use of natural antioxidants has led to exploring new natural sources of these compounds. As such, by-products obtained from the agri-food industry constitute an important source of natural antioxidants.

Prior to commercialization at the industrial level, it is first necessary to extract the antioxidants using, if possible, green extraction methods. Secondly, the antioxidant obtained must be characterized considering that their biological activity differs if they are alone or in a matrix. For this purpose, both screening (e.g., spectrophotometric techniques) as well as advanced analysis techniques, including the use of liquid or gas chromatography, coupled with mass detectors, triple quadrupole, etc., will be necessary.

Once the compounds are characterized in a global or individualized way, studies will be necessary to demonstrate their safety, for example, cytotoxicity studies. In vitro and in vivo bioavailability and bioavailability tests will also be required considering the application, since these may be included in active packaging or in food, as food additives, or for different purposes.

So, the Section "Extraction and Industrial Applications of Antioxidants" will cover:

i) Extraction of antioxidants;

ii) Analysis of antioxidants;

iii) In vitro and in vivo cytotoxicity assays;

iv) In vitro and in vivo bioaccessibility and bioavailability assays;

v) Antioxidants on packaging; and

vi) Patents and commercial applications.