Find in Library

This study investigates the chemical composition, nutritional, and biological properties of extracts obtained from <i>A. melanocarpa</i> berries using different extraction methods and solvents. Hydrodistillation and supercritical fluid extraction with CO₂ allowed us to isolate fruit essential oil (HD_EX) and fixed oil (SFE_EX), respectively. A phenol-enriched extract was obtained using a mild ultrasound-assisted maceration with methanol (UAM_M). The HD_EX most abundant component, using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS), was italicene epoxide (17.2%), followed by hexadecanoic acid (12.4%), khusinol (10.5%), limonene (9.7%), dodecanoic acid (9.7%), and (E)-anethole (6.1%). Linoleic (348.9 mg/g of extract, 70.5%), oleic (88.9 mg/g, 17.9%), and palmitic (40.8 mg/g, 8.2%) acids, followed by α-linolenic and stearic acids, were the main fatty acids in SFE_EX determined using high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with a photodiode array detector and an evaporative light scattering detector (HPLC-DAD/ELSD). HPLC-DAD analyses of SFE_EX identified β-carotene as the main carotenoid (1.7 mg/g), while HPLC with fluorescence detection (FLU) evidenced α-tocopherol (1.2 mg/g) as the most abundant tocopherol isoform in SFE_EX. Liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-MS (LC-ESI-MS) analysis of UAM_M showed the presence of quercetin-sulfate (15.6%, major component), malvidin 3-<i>O</i>-(6-<i>O</i>-p-coumaroyl) glucoside-4-vinylphenol adduct (pigment B) (9.3%), di-caffeoyl coumaroyl spermidine (7.6%), methyl-epigallocatechin (5.68%), and phloretin (4.1%), while flavonoids (70.5%) and phenolic acids (23.9%) emerged as the most abundant polyphenol classes. UAM_M exerted a complete inhibition of the cholesterol oxidative degradation at 140 °C from 75 μg of extract, showing 50% protection at 30.6 μg (IA₅₀). Furthermore, UAM_M significantly reduced viability (31–48%) in A375 melanoma cells in the range of 500–2000 μg/mL after 96 h of incubation (MTT assay), with a low toxic effect in normal HaCaT keratinocytes. The results of this research extend the knowledge of the nutritional and biological properties of <i>A. melanocarpa</i> berries, providing useful information on specific extracts for potential food, cosmetic, and pharmaceutical applications.