Extraction of anthocyanins from jambolan fruit using ethanol and deep eutectic solvents: Bioactivity, cytotoxicity, and application as a natural colorant.

de Freitas, Pedro Victor Crescêncio; de Araújo Padilha, Carlos Eduardo; Dos Santos Lima, Marcos; Augusto, Patrícia Prado; Lopes, Patrícia Santos; de Assis, Cristiane Fernandes; de Oliveira, Emanuel Neto Alves; de Sousa Junior, Francisco Caninde · PLoS One · 2026

basic_science · Level V

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Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate the extraction of anthocyanins from jambolan (Syzygium cumini) fruit using choline chloride-based deep eutectic solvents (DESs) as co-solvents in ethanolic systems. The extraction was performed using ethanol and choline chloride-based DESs with xylitol (ChX-DES) and glycerol (ChG-DES). The highest anthocyanin extraction was achieved using ethanol with 5% DES, resulting in 20.40 to 23.36 mg M3G/ 100 g. Increased temperature favored the extraction, particularly at 70 °C for 5% ChG-DES, yielding 28.92 mg M3G/100 g. The ethanol containing 5% ChG-DES extract exhibited higher color intensity, suggesting its potential as a natural colorant. Additionally, DES-containing extracts demonstrated higher antioxidant capacity and α-amylase and amyloglucosidase inhibition. Cytotoxicity in the HaCaT cell revealed no toxicity up to 12.5 mg/mL. Finally, the color stability of yogurts enriched with the ChG-DES extract was maintained during storage, highlighting the potential of DESs for extracting and applying anthocyanins as natural colorants and functional agents in foods.

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