Cloud Point Extraction as a Green Method for the Extraction of Antioxidant Compounds from the Juice of Second-Grade Apples

Every year, a substantial amount of food is discarded globally. A significant portion of this waste is composed of fruit by-products or fruits that do not meet consumer standards. Apples rank as the third most extensively produced fruit crop globally, generating substantial waste. This study examined apples that did not meet food industry standards and were destined for disposal. The objective was to recover bioactive compounds from their juice using Cloud Point Extraction (CPE). Like other extraction methods, CPE isolates target compounds from the sample, enhancing recovery yield. A primary advantage of CPE is that it operates without requiring specialized equipment or hazardous reagents. Additional benefits include efficacy, simplicity, safety, and speed. Furthermore, a food-grade surfactant, lecithin, was used to encapsulate bioactive compounds, ensuring non-toxicity for both humans and the environment. After three CPE steps, we recovered 95.95% of the total polyphenols from second-grade apple juice (initial TPC: 540.36 mg GAE/L). The findings highlight CPE’s effectiveness for polyphenol extraction and for producing antioxidant-rich extracts. These extracts may be utilized as nutritional supplements, feed additives, and for nutraceutical or medicinal applications.