Abstract

Ultrasound-assisted extraction technique was developed for the extraction of phenolic acids and flavonoids from pomegranate and Butia. Parameters as ethanol concentration, temperature and solid to liquid ratio were assessed through an experimental design and the antioxidant activity (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl [DPPH] method) for each assay was evaluated. The maximum amount of total polyphenol content was 6723.42 and 37.99 mg gallic acid equivalent (GAE)/g of extract for pomegranate and Butia, respectively. Individual compounds as phenolic acids and flavonoids ranged depending on experimental conditions but, on the other hand, the antioxidant activity had little influence when these variables were studied. Pomegranate and Butia showed a maximum inhibition of DPPH radicals of 92.35% and 28.50%, respectively.