Effects of Ethanol Concentration and Pulsed Electric Field Parameters on Bioactive Compound Recovery and Cosmetic-Relevant Activities of Theobroma cacao Pod Husk Extracts

This study aimed to investigate pulsed electric field (PEF)-assisted extraction of cocoa pod husk (CPH) and to evaluate its antioxidant and hyaluronidase inhibitory activities. CPH was extracted using 0–100% v/v ethanol at an electric field strength of 5 kV/cm with 1000, 3000, or 5000 pulses. The extracts were analyzed for their total content of phenolic, flavonoid, tannin, and saponin, as well as antioxidant, hyaluronidase inhibitory, and elastase inhibitory activities. Selected extracts were further evaluated for irritation potential using the hen’s egg test–chorioallantoic membrane (HET–CAM) assay and chemical composition by liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC–MS). Ethanol concentration significantly influenced phytochemical recovery, with 25% ethanol generally favoring phenolic and flavonoid extraction, whereas higher ethanol concentrations promoted selected enzyme-inhibitory activities. The highest hyaluronidase inhibition was obtained with 25% ethanol and 5000 pulses (60.57 ± 5.56%). The 25% ethanol/1000-pulse extract showed strong elastase inhibition (74.70 ± 4.00%). LC–MS tentatively annotated several bioactive compounds, including kojic acid, procyanidin, gallic acid, caffeic acid, rutin, and quercetin glucoside. In conclusion, ethanol concentration and PEF pulse number affected the phytochemical recovery and biological activities of CPH extracts, while the resulting extracts may serve as candidates for further investigation as cosmetic ingredients.