Phenolic Compounds from Pineapple Crown: Comparative Assessment of Fermentation and Conventional Extraction Methods

The increase in pineapple production has led to a significant accumulation of agro-industrial waste, underscoring the need for sustainable strategies for its utilization. The valorization of pineapple crowns presents an opportunity to produce value-added products rich in phenolic compounds, thereby reducing environmental impacts and offering accessible alternatives to small-scale producers. Among the methods for extracting phenolic compounds, maceration, Soxhlet extraction, and fermentation stand out, with the latter being considered a low-cost and more environmentally sustainable option. In this study, the objective was to compare three extraction methods (dynamic maceration, Soxhlet extraction, and fermentation) were compared to identify the most efficient method for recovering phenolic compounds from pineapple crowns. The results showed that fermentation yielded the highest total phenolic compounds of 82.3 mg GAE/g (Folin–Ciocalteu) and 64.1 mg GAE/g (Fast Blue BB), followed by maceration at 17.3 mg GAE/g (Folin–Ciocalteu) and 10.2 mg GAE/g (Fast Blue BB) and Soxhlet extraction at 2.1 mg GAE/g for both, with gallic, ferulic, and p-coumaric acids being particularly noteworthy in the fermented extract. The microorganism Bacillus sp. SMIA-2 played a significant role in the release and availability of these compounds, increasing the efficiency of the process. Thus, fermentation proves to be a sustainable and economically viable alternative for utilizing pineapple crowns, promoting the rational use of plant biomass and adding value to a low-cost, easily applicable agro-industrial byproduct.