Extraction and Characterization of Antioxidants from the Seeds of Ethiopian Avocado Variety, Pinkerton

Abstract

The objective of this study was to extract and characterize the antioxidants from the Ethiopian avocado seeds of the Pinkerton variety, using ethanol as a solvent. Response surface methodology (RSM) in combination with Box-Behnken experimental design with a three level, three-factor mixture design was used to optimize the extraction condition for assessing the maximum yield of antioxidant from the avocado seeds. Ethanol concentration (%, v/v), temperature (°C) and time (h) were the parameters taken into consideration in assessing the antioxidant yield from the Pinkerton avocado seed variety. The antioxidant yield was 5.86 g at optimum temperature of 49.89°C, ethanol concentration of 54% and extraction time of 37.34 h. The antioxidant extracted from the avocado seeds were evaluated for the gallic acid equivalents, catechin equivalent, phenolic content, flavonoid content, and free radical scavenging activity. Thus the production of antioxidants from the underutilized avocado seeds could find applications in the food and cosmetic industries.