Enzymatic Pretreatment of Vegetable Materials to Increase the Extraction Yield of Bioactive Compounds

Abstract

In this paper, the influence of enzymatic pretreatment on the microwave assisted extraction (MAE) of polyphenols from artichoke leaves is described. Prior to enzymatic pretreatment, the influence of different parameters (extraction time, stirring rate, and extraction temperature) on the extraction process was studied. The total phenolic content (TPC) increases with the stirring rate. To avoid degradation of polyphenols, the extraction time and temperature should not be too high. The antioxidant capacity is in concordance with the TPC results. The enzymatic pretreatment, for the best extraction conditions, enhances the concentration of polyphenols compared with the extracts obtained without pretreatment.