Extraction of antioxidant compounds from Espino maulino (Vachellia caven) fruit using supercritical CO<sub>2</sub> and accelerated solvent extraction in a serial process: characterization and application in amodel lipid system

This study investigated the extraction of antioxidant compounds from hawthorn fruit (Vachellia caven), a species native to South America, using supercritical CO2 (Sc-CO2) and accelerated solvent extraction (ASE) method. The results revealed that according to the total phenols assay, pod had a richness of phenolic compounds (22568.49 GAE/100 g dry matter), and a strong antioxidant activity was demonstrated by 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl free radical (362.27 µmol TE/g dry matter) and oxygen radical absorbance capacity (3049.39 umol TE/g dry matter) assays. The seed fraction was rich in tocopherols, particularly γ-tocotrienol, which is scarce and associated with good antioxidant activity (59.92 ug/g oil). The Sc-CO2 extract contained a significant amount of unsaturated fatty acids (65–84%), including linoleic and linolenic acids, which are of nutritional interest. Hawthorn extracts, particularly the pod extract, demonstrated significant antioxidant properties in a refined sunflower oil model system, slowing the generation of primary and secondary lipid oxidation compounds in a thermo-oxidative process, indicating their potential as natural preservatives in food applications.