The Brazilian Amazon is home to a variety of fruits with high concentrations of bioactive compounds, whose phytochemical-rich peels and seeds are commonly discarded. The peach palm ( Bactris gasipaes Mart.), whose peels are notable for their high carotenoid content, is a key example in this context. To recover these compounds, it is important to apply efficient and environmentally friendly techniques, such as supercritical fluid extraction, to obtain pure, contaminant-free extracts. Therefore, the objective of this study was, for the first time, to investigate the recovery of carotenoids from peach palm peel using supercritical technology as a sustainable strategy for the use of this residue. The results demonstrated high efficiency of the method in carotenoid recovery, resulting in mass yields 39.1% - 41.4% under pressure 300 bar - 400 bar and density 878 kg/m³ - 991 kg/m³. The highest carotenoid concentration (2446.9 µg/g) was obtained at 40 °C, 400 bar and supercritical CO₂ density of 990 kg/m³. The extracts showed good antioxidant capacity (29.41 ± 0.35 µmol trolox equivalent/g and remarkable antimicrobial activity against strains of Staphylococcus aureus , Salmonella typhimurium , and Fusarium oxysporum , with inhibition rates 81% - 83%. These results demonstrate the effectiveness of supercritical extraction in recovering carotenoids from peach palm shell, generating extracts with high yields, significant antioxidant capacity, and remarkable antimicrobial activity. This extract presents itself as a viable alternative for the use of peach palm peels, which is still underutilized, and strengthens the fruit production chain. • Peach palm peels are underexploited sources of carotenoids • Supercritical CO 2 is effective for recovering carotenoids from peach palm peels • Extract from peach palm peels presented high ROO • -scavenging capacity • Peach palm peels extract showed antimicrobial activity against bacteria and fungi • Supercritical extraction as sustainable approach for valorization of by-products
Souza et al. (Sun,) studied this question.