Fatty Acids from Paracentrotus lividus Sea Urchin Shells Obtained via Rapid Solid Liquid Dynamic Extraction (RSLDE)

Abstract

Sea urchins (Echinodermata, Echinoidea) are good a source of bioactive compounds belonging to different classes of natural substances. The edible Mediterranean sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus is a renowned animal model for study in different fields of biology, but it is intensively harvested for high commercial value due to the delicacy of its gonads. Most studies have focused on the composition and the nutritional value of P. lividus gonads (the edible part), but little interest has been taken in the other body parts, such as the shells and spines, which are generally considered waste material. The purpose of this study was to obtain an extract from sea urchin shells, with a green methodology of extraction, and to characterize the lipophilic components for potential applications. The shells of P. lividus were extracted via a very well performing technology based on rapid solid liquid dynamic extraction (RSLDE) implemented via an automated device (Naviglio Extractor®). The obtained extract shows the presence of fatty acids and their esters (methyl, ethyl and 1-glycerol esters). Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) measurements were used to determine fatty acid abundance in the chromatographic fractions of the extract. Arachidonic acid (ARA), 5,8,11,14,17-eicosapentanoic acid (EPA), and 11-eicosenoic acids and their esters are the most abundant components. The presence of many polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) in the extract, even in low percentages allows a future application in nutrition or medical use.

Sustainability: Obtaining Natural Dyes from Waste Matrices Using the Prickly Pear Peels of Opuntia ficus-indica (L.) Miller

“…By comparing the spectra obtained for the extracts obtained through conventional maceration and the Naviglio method (data not shown for brevity), they showed that the extracts obtained under the same conditions (solvent, time, pH, ratio sample:solvent) with the Naviglio method had a higher content of coloring molecules compared to those obtained by maceration. Thus, it was concluded that the use of the Naviglio method allowed to obtain richer extracts in less time, as reported in the literature for other applications [38][39][40]. Figure 5 shows the spectra obtained from the analysis of the extracts of Opuntia ficus-indica (L.) Miller with the Naviglio method, which shows a better content of coloring molecules, even if only slightly, for the extract obtained with water.…”

Fatty Acids from Ganoderma lucidum Spores: Extraction, Identification and Quantification

“…In fact, their proton spectra showed the signals related to fatty acid residues at δ: 5.46 Triglycerides in the oily extracts of G. lucidum were subjected to a common transesterification reaction, called alcoholysis. In transesterification, triglycerides react with methanol in the presence of a basic catalyst to form a mixture of glycerol and fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs) [18]. FAMEs were identified and quantified via GC-MS in all samples.…”

“…NMR data suggest the presence, as main components, of triglycerides in the commercial sample of G. lucidum and in the extracts obtained as reported in previous sections. The triglycerides were submitted to a transesterification reaction with methanol in the presence of a basic catalyst (i.e., potassium hydroxide), as described by [18]. In this way, the fatty acids chains are released from glycerol skeleton and recombine with the alcohol to yield fatty acids methyl esters (FAMEs).…”

Extraction and Isolation of Natural Products

“…The extract contains arachidonic acid (ARA), 5,8,11,14,17-eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and 11-eicosenoic acids and their esters, as well as many polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA). These results mean that this extract is of great interest for possible future applications in the medical and/or nutritional field [23].…”