https://doi.org/10.17113/ftb.64.04.26.9515

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Ultrasonic Extraction of Bioactive Compounds from Butia eriospatha Using NADES: Screening and Process Optimization

Daiana Alves Machado^1* and Renata Dinnies Santos Salem²

¹Federal Institute of Education, Science and Technology of Santa Catarina, Avenida dos Expedicionários, 2150, 89466-312 Canoinhas, SC, Brazil

²Graduate Program in Food Science and Technology, State University of Ponta Grossa, Avenida Carlos Cavalcanti, 4748, 84030-900 Ponta Grossa, PR, Brazil

Copyright © 2026 This is a Diamond Open Access article published under CC-BY licence. Copyright remains with the authors, who grant third parties the unrestricted right to use, copy, distribute and reproduce the article as long as the original author(s) and source are acknowledged.

Food Technol. Biotechnol. 2026; 64(4).

Article history:

Received: 5 December 2025

Accepted: 18 October 2026

Keywords:

Butia eriospatha; NADES; ultrasound-assisted extraction; bioactive compounds; antioxidant activity; native fruits

The content of this publication has not been approved by the United Nations and does not reflect the views of the United Nations or its officials or Member States.

Summary:

Research background. Butia eriospatha (Mart. ex Drude) Becc. is a palm native to southern Brazil whose fruits contain high levels of antioxidant compounds, including phenolic compounds, carotenoids and ascorbic acid. Driven by the demand for sustainable extraction routes, natural deep eutectic solvents (NADES) combined with ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) have emerged as a promising alternative to conventional organic solvents for plant matrices.

Experimental approach. This study aimed to optimize the extraction of bioactive compounds from the pulp–peel mixture of B. eriospatha using NADES as extraction media in combination with UAE. Three formulations (ChCl–Gly, ChCl–TA and ChCl–LA) were screened, resulting in the selection of ChCl–Gly (1:2 mol/mol). Subsequent extractions were performed using UAE (25 kHz; 165 W) based on Box–Behnken and 3² factorial designs, varying temperature, extraction time and liquid-to-solid ratio, with 50 % (by volume) ethanol as the control solvent. Extracts were analyzed for total phenolic content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC), total carotenoids (TC), ascorbic acid (AA) and antioxidant activity (DPPH, ABTS and FRAP).

Results and conclusions. Quadratic modeling integrated with a desirability function identified 41 °C and 60 min as the optimal condition, yielding TFC≈8.3 mg QE/g, TPC=166.5 mg GAE/g, ABTS≈139.0 mg TE/g and TC=93.5 mg β-carotene/100 g, values superior or comparable to ethanol. In the 3² design, DPPH, FRAP and AA were also quantified outside the desirability model, showing high performance in the optimized extract (DPPH≈112.0 mg TE/g; FRAP≈1000.0 mg TE/g; AA≈5.0 mg/100 g). The optimized extract exhibited high thermal stability (60–80 °C for 120 min) and photostability over 96 h (<2 % variation in TPC), indicating low molecular degradation and preservation of antioxidant activity.

Novelty and scientific contribution. The ChCl–Gly/UAE system showed superior extraction efficiency, strong selectivity toward bioactive compounds and high metabolite stability, establishing it as a high-yield, reproducible and industrially applicable green technology. The findings highlight B. eriospatha as a regional source of functional ingredients and position NADES as stable and strategically sustainable solvents for food, pharmaceutical, cosmetic and nutraceutical applications.