Extraction of C apsicum annuum Oleoresin by Maceration and Ultrasound‐Assisted Extraction: Influence of Parameters and Process Modeling

The use of oleoresin as natural colorant is widely used in daily food and beverages. However, there is still a lack of information about the solid–liquid extraction process to obtain this oily extract from sweet paprika. The effects of different operating variables, such as extraction technique, temperature, powder‐to‐solvent ratio and type of solvent on oleoresin extraction, were investigated through experiments and the leaching process was theoretically modeled. The results indicated that although extraction yields are not affected by the extraction technique, ultrasound‐assisted extraction reduces the extraction time required to achieve them. Hexane as solvent and 298 K were the conditions to reach higher coloring capacities of the extracted oleoresins and, thus, they were selected to model the process. Calculations report a powder‐to‐solvent ratio of 1:4.3 to obtain the maximum oleoresin recovery (84 wt %) in one single contact stage. Practical Applications In this work, the results obtained from the detailed study about the effect of operating variables on the oleoresin extraction throw light on this process, enhancing the knowledge of the conventional production process and opening new possibilities to achieve the industrial extraction of sweet paprika. In this context, ultrasound‐assisted extraction has been proved to be an efficient technique to obtain similar extraction yields to those from the conventional process, but reducing by a factor of at least 24 the extraction times. Furthermore, the modeled results can serve for further scale‐up of paprika companies.