Combined experimental design based-PROMETHEE approach to evaluate antimicrobial activity and optimization of polyphenol content of Prunus spinosa L. fruit

Abstract Present research was undertaken to assess total phenolic content (TPC) and antimicrobial activity of Prunus spinosa L. Combined design including mixture design and response surface methodology (RSM) was used to create experimental points and to determine the best solvent composition for extraction of bioactive components of P. spinosa . To construct model, water, methanol, acetone (A, B, C, 0–100%) were selected as solvents and extraction time (D, 30–60 °C) was used to be categorical process factor. The TPC analysis results for each experimental point ranged from 5.40 ± 0.32 to 108.70 ± 2.14 mg GAE/g. The optimal condition for the highest phenolic compounds was obtained with the point including the mixture containing water: acetone (61.28:38.72, v / v ) and 56.27 °C of extraction temperature, which was the most suitable for maximum TPC (108.74 ± 2.806 mg GAE/g). The ANOVA analysis of the combined design showed that TPC response were statistically significant, with determination coefficients of 98.85%, and fit the quadratic x linear regression models. Extracts obtained from the experimental point were evaluated to assess the antimicrobial activity of P. spinosa . The results were evaluated through PROMETHEE. The PROMETHEE results indicate that the extract demonstrating the most significant efficacy against all five bacteria is composed of 50% water and 50% methanol, processed at 60 °C. In conclusion, bioactive compounds from P. spinosa were successfully extracted using the chosen temperatures and solvents, and the antibacterial efficacy of the experimental results derived from the design expert program was thoroughly analyzed using PROMETHEE. The findings indicate that PROMETHEE is applicable for comparing and optimizing the extraction of bioactive chemicals from botanical sources. Moreover, it can be utilized in the development of a product aimed at particular microorganisms or to assess the synergy among various phytochemicals based on their antibacterial and antioxidant characteristics.