Microwave-assisted extraction of phenolic compounds from wine lees and spray-drying of the extract

Most research on extraction of phenol compounds from wine by-products and commercial exploitation of extracts use grape seeds and/or skins as raw materials. Looking for alternative antioxidants sources, obtaining antioxidant extracts from wine lees (also known as dregs), a sub-exploited by-product of winemaking process, is here presented. Microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) of phenolic compounds from wine lees has been optimized using the total phenols index, the ORAC values and yield of the extraction as response variables. Under the optimal working conditions, the proposed MAE method provides better extraction efficiency in a much shorter time (17 min) than the conventional extraction method for phenolic compounds (24 h). The liquid extract obtained by MAE was spray-dried. The type and amount of excipients used, as well as the spray-drying temperature, were optimized in order to minimize the oxidation of phenolic compounds and maximize the yield of the spray-drying process. The total phenols index in the dried extract thus obtained was 36.8% (expressed as gallic acid), showing an ORAC value of 3930 μmol TE/g. Additionally, Mv3G, Cm-Mv3G, myricetin, quercetin, quercetin-3-β-glucoside, caffeic acid and p-coumaric acid were quantified in the dry extract by HPLC–DAD. The results indicate that wine lees antioxidant extracts can be a suitable and cheap alternative to those obtained from grape seeds or skins.