A Green and Innovative Waste Valorization Approach for Extraction of Flavonoids from Grapefruit Peels by Microwave-Assisted Pressurized CO2-H2O Extraction

Grapefruit is rich in flavanones, particularly naringin and narirutin. This study investigated the effects of temperature, time, and solid-to-liquid ratio on microwave-assisted pressurized CO₂-H₂O (MWP-CO₂-H₂O) extraction of flavonoids from grapefruit and optimized the parameters for maximum total flavonoid content (TFC) using response surface methodology. Independent variable ranges were 110-160 °C, 4.00-14.00 min, and 1:10.00-1:40.00 g/mL. Optimum conditions were 128 °C, 13.88 min, and 1:31.35 g/mL, yielding a TFC of 27.96 ± 1.29 mg naringin equivalent/g dry weight. Under these conditions, extraction yield, total phenolic content, ferric reducing ability of plasma, cupric reducing antioxidant capacity, and DPPH IC₅₀ were 55.17 ± 1.90% (dry basis), 25.42 ± 1.39 mg gallic acid equivalent/g, 39.16 ± 1.61 µmol trolox equivalent/g, 81.64 ± 0.29 µmol trolox equivalent/g, and 1.60 ± 0.01 mg/mL, respectively. Compared to conventional extraction (CE), MWP-CO₂-H₂O produced higher TFC, phenolic content, and antioxidant activity, while reducing extraction time by 13.68-fold. These results highlight grapefruit peel waste as a sustainable source of bioactive compounds and demonstrate that MWP-CO₂-H₂O is an environmentally sustainable, efficient alternative to conventional methods.