Pressurized Liquid Extraction of Bioactive Compounds from Seeds and Sprouts Trigonella foenum-graecum L. (Fenugreek): Enhanced Antioxidant and Anti-Hyperglycemic Activities Geovanni Silva Comilo, Karen Keli Barbosa Abrantes, Karina Miyuki Retamiro, Oscar de Oliveira Santos Junior, Wardleison Martins Moreira, et al. Foods, 2025 The present study examined the impact of germination using Aloe vera as an elicitor on the phytochemical composition, antioxidant capacity, and in vitro anti-hyperglycemic and antitumoral activity of fenugreek seed extracts germinated by pressurized n-propane. The lipid composition, free fatty acids, antioxidant activity, and phenolic content, as well as the contents of α-tocopherol, β-carotene, and minor compounds, have been determined for the extracts. The in vitro anti-hyperglycemic and anticancer activities were also evaluated in cervical cancer (HeLa) and colon cancer (SiHa) cell lines. Antioxidant activity increased two-fold, α-tocopherol increased almost three-fold, and β-carotene content was 55% higher in the germinated seed extracts compared to the raw. Fifteen polyphenolic compounds have been identified in fenugreek seed extracts, which promote germination by increasing high levels of polyunsaturated fatty acids at the expense of reducing saturated fatty acids. Extracts obtained from seed germination and elicitation with Aloe vera demonstrated potential in vitro anticancer activity in HeLa and SiHa cells. Fenugreek extracts demonstrated high in vitro inhibition of α-glucosidase (99%) and α-amylase (95%), indicating anti-hyperglycemic potential. The use of Aloe vera germination, combined with extraction using pressurized n-propane, demonstrated efficiency in enriching fenugreek seed extracts with bioactive compounds with potential in vitro anti-hyperglycemic and antitumor activity.
Mixture Design and Doehlert Matrix for Optimization of Energized Dispersive Guided Extraction (EDGE) of Theobromine and Caffeine from Cocoa Bean Shells Luciana Lordêlo Nascimento, Paulo Natan Alves dos Santos, Honnara Santos Granja, Larissa da Silveira Ferreira, João Victor Ferreira Lima, et al. Foods, 2025 This work describes the development of a method for the extraction of methylxanthines from cocoa bean shell (CBS) by employing the novel Energized Dispersive Guided Extraction (EDGE) system. The mixtures were composed of ethanol–methanol–water and the ratio was optimized using a simplex-centroid design. Doehlert design (DD) was used to optimize the variables of temperature and time while using methylxanthine content obtained by HPLC-DAD as an analytical response. The optimized mixture consisted of water–ethanol in a 3:2 ratio. The optimum operating conditions for extraction were achieved at a temperature of 148.5 °C and 382 s. Under optimal conditions, 20.14 mg g−1 DM of theobromine and 3.53 mg g−1 DM of caffeine were found in the CBS extract. Methylxanthines were quantified with good linearity, LOQs, LODs, precision, and accuracy. The EDGE system, a newly automated extraction instrument, has proven to be very efficient for the recovery of theobromine and caffeine, and is considered a green extraction procedure, as demonstrated by the analytical greenness metric for sample preparation.
Energized dispersive guided extraction (EDGE): a promising tool for analytical chemistry applications Paulo N. A. Santos, Yasmine B. Andrade, Honnara S. Granja, Lisiane S. Freitas, Allan S. Polidoro, et al. Analytical Methods, 2025 Analytical chemistry demands precise sample preparation methods to ensure accurate qualitative and quantitative determinations, especially those capable of clean-up and preconcentration of target analytes.
