Effective treatments of jojoba and jatropha hulls to obtain phytochemical compounds for industrial, nutritional, and pharmaceutical uses

Abstract

The hulls were ground and sieved. The effects of ultrasound-assisted extraction together with soaking afterwards were investigated. Solvents used were (1, 0. 5 N HCl), (1, 0.5 N-NaOH), and (70 ml ethanol mixed with 30 ml of (1, 0. 5) N HCl or NaOH) and then soaking to reduce the temperature and to enhance the process in order to hydrolyze lignin. The phenolic compounds, flavonoids, and saponins in each extract were determined, and their antioxidant activities were evaluated. Three antioxidant activity methods were applied for each extract: hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) radical scavenging activity, DPPH, and total reducing capability. Bioactive compounds in their natural form were found to possess high antioxidant activities exceeding that of BHT. The NaOH proved to have a great power for the extraction of phytochemical compounds with elevated antioxidant activities from jojoba, while (1, 0.5 N) HCl with ethanol (30–70%) concentrations extracted phytochemicals with high antioxidant activity from jatropha.