JABUTICABA (Plinia cauliflora) EXTRACTS OBTAINED BY A CONVENTIONAL METHOD AND USING NATURAL DEEP EUTECTIC SOLVENTS (NaDES): TOTAL ANTHOCYANINS, α-AMYLASE INHIBITION, AND CHEMICAL PROFILE BY GC-MS

Jabuticaba (Plinia cauliflora), a fruit belonging to Brazilian sociobiodiversity, has a diverse chemical composition, including constituents of chemical and biological interest. The recovery of these constituents and the properties of the resulting extracts may be influenced by the extraction system employed, particularly regarding their chemical profile and biological activity. In this context, the investigation of more sustainable extraction systems, such as natural deep eutectic solvents (NaDES), is relevant as an alternative to conventional methods. Thus, this study compared jabuticaba extracts obtained using a conventional extraction method described in the Brazilian Pharmacopoeia and a NaDES-based ultrasound-assisted extraction (NaDES/UAE), considering total anthocyanin content, chemical profile, and α-amylase inhibitory activity. Fruits of the Sabará variety were collected in Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil. The conventional extract (CE), obtained with 65% ethanol, was prepared at a 1:10 (w:v) ratio. The alternative extract (AE) was obtained at the same ratio using a previously optimized NaDES composed of lactic acid and malic acid. The extracts were evaluated for total anthocyanin content, α-amylase inhibition, and chemical profile by gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (GC-MS). For GC-MS analysis, the extracts were prepared using dichloromethane and ethyl acetate and analyzed without prior transesterification. As a complementary analysis, the lipid fraction previously obtained from freeze-dried jabuticaba was transesterified into fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs) with sulfuric acid and analyzed chromatographically to characterize its fatty acid profile. The results showed that the extracts had similar total anthocyanin concentrations (467.01 and 439.23 mg cyanidin-3-O-glucoside/L for CE and AE, respectively; p>0.05). AE showed stronger α amylase inhibition (IC₅₀ = 4.91 mg/mL) than CE (IC₅₀ = 8.23 mg/mL; p<0.05), corresponding to an approximately 40% lower IC₅₀ and indicating that a lower AE concentration was required to achieve the same inhibitory effect. The GC-MS profiles differed between the extraction systems. In AE, signals compatible with n-hexadecanoic acid and octadecanoic acid were observed, whereas CE showed signals compatible with n-hexadecanoic acid, 9,12-octadecadienoic acid, caryophyllene, citric acid, and phytol. In the complementary FAME analysis of the lipid fraction obtained from freeze-dried jabuticaba, palmitic acid was the predominant fatty acid (83.12%), followed by stearic acid (11.31%) and α-linolenic acid (5.57%), based on the relative chromatographic peak areas of their corresponding methyl esters. Although AE exhibited a less diverse GC-MS profile, it showed stronger α-amylase inhibitory activity and anthocyanin concentrations comparable to those of CE. These results indicate that NaDES/UAE can provide jabuticaba extracts with relevant bioactive properties, despite differences in their chemical composition compared with conventionally obtained extracts. In this context, NaDES/UAE represents a promising, more sustainable alternative for the recovery of bioactive compounds from jabuticaba. Acknowledgments: The authors thank CAPES, CNPq, and the Graduate Program in Food and Nutrition (PPGAN).