Application of a 23 factorial design in the assisted extraction by microwave and evaluation of the antioxidant activity of the compounds present in Vaccinium meridionale fruits

Abstract

Blueberry (Vaccinium meridionale) forms part of the family Ericaceae; it is a fruit rich in flavonoids and anthocyanins (polyphenols), which have antioxidant properties and also shows some properties suitable for inhibition of free radicals. A 23 factorial design was performed to investigate the variables effects: temperature, time and the ethanol percentage %, on the antioxidants extraction process by Microwave Assisted Extraction (MAE). The extraction conditions were: temp (343.15-383.15 K), time (5-15 min), ethanol (0-80%). A factorial design was performed, with a total of 8 experiments, allowing to determine the influence of the relation of the variables related to the extraction process of compounds with antioxidant activity by DPPH∙ method, getting a first order factorial model with interactions and a 100% reliability level and a R2 =1. The experimental design and evaluation of the results were performed with the software R Studio® free version