Effect of instant controlled pressure drop (DIC) on the extraction and profile of phenolic compounds from dandelion (taraxacum officinale)

Abstract

The antioxidant capacity of food matrices is closely related to the presence and stability of bioactive compounds such as phenols and flavonoids. This study evaluated the effect of controlled instantaneous decompression technology (DIC) on the extraction of these compounds and the enhancement of antioxidant activity in dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) roots and leaves. Samples were subjected to DIC treatments with different saturated steam pressures (0.1-0.4 MPa) and processing times (5-90 s). Pareto diagrams and response surface methodology were used to evaluate the influence of pressure and time to optimize treatment conditions to maximize total phenolic content, flavonoid content, and antioxidant activity. The results showed that intermediate DIC conditions (0.25 MPa, 20 s) significantly improved antioxidant activity, reaching a maximum of 86.17 M Trolox/g, approximately tripling the phenolic content compared to the control. The control samples exhibited an antioxidant activity of 65.26 M Trolox/g. In comparison, the highest values observed for DIC-treated samples were 34.31 M Trolox/g in roots and 9.86 M Trolox/g in leaves under treatment DIC (0.10 MPa, 20 s). HPLC-DAD analysis allowed the identification and quantification of various phenolic compounds in dandelion. Catechin was the most abundant compound detected in both tissues, reaching 1.99 mg/g in leaves and 5.35 mg/g in roots. These values correspond to a 1.9-fold increase in leaves under DIC (0.25 MPa, 20 s) and a 15-fold increase in roots under DIC (0.10 MPa, 20 s), compared to control samples. In addition, the DIC-treated samples showed the presence of phenolic compounds not detected in the raw materials, such as vanillic acid and trans-3-hydroxycinnamic acid. These results suggest that DIC favors the release of phenolic compounds by promoting cell wall disruption and improving solvent accessibility, without inducing their degradation under moderate conditions. This study demonstrates the potential of DIC technology as a sustainable and efficient alternative to improve the functional value of underutilized plant matrices, offering promising applications in the development of functional foods and nutraceutical products.