Extraction of valuable compounds from granadilla (Passiflora ligularis, Juss) peel using pressurized fluids technologies

Valuable products, including carotenoids, phenolic compounds, and pectin were obtained from
granadilla peel using green technologies based on pressurized fluids. The processes of pressurized
liquid extraction (PLE) and CO2-expanded ethanol (GXE) were evaluated to recover the
carotenoids and phenolic compounds, while pressurized hot water extraction (PHWE) was evaluated
to extract pectin from the granadilla peel. The results demonstrated that although PLE and
GXE had no significant difference in the carotenoids yield and antioxidant activity of the extracts
obtained, PLE was faster than GXE to achieve the highest extraction yield. The pectin yield obtained
by PHWE was affected by the process temperature with the highest value obtained at
160 °C. Further studies are needed to characterize the chemical composition of the pectin obtained,
but the present results enable establishing a biorefinery for the complete use of granadilla
wastes (seeds and peel).