Incorporating Ascorbic Acid into Natural Deep Eutectic Systems: A Study on Antioxidant Preservation

Antioxidants are key components in fighting the damage caused by reactive oxygen species but are highly unstable. Natural deep eutectic systems (NADES) are alternative preservatives for antioxidants. This study explores the incorporation of ascorbic acid (AA) into NADES to enhance the preservation of its properties. Additionally, the toxicity of the systems was evaluated using shrimp (Palaemon varians). It was observed that the system comprised of betaine:citric acid:water (Bet:CA, 1:1:3) was able to preserve AA’s antioxidant capacity up to 9 days, outperforming the remaining systems. Regarding the toxicity assays, it was observed that the presence of Bet:CA (up to 410 mg/ganimal) did not cause significant toxicity against shrimp, while the presence of the higher concentrations of choline chloride:ascorbic acid (ChCl:AA, 2:1) (467 mg/ganimal) showed low toxicity. Moreover, in the preservation of apple slices using NADES solution, it was observed that NADES could reduce the browning effect over 24 h.