Recovery of bioactive compounds from unripe red grapes (cv. Sangiovese) through a green extraction

Unripe grapes are a potential source of bioactive compounds which can exert antioxidant and antimicrobial activity. However, very little information is available about the composition of unripe grapes extracts and their extraction techniques. This study aims to evaluate the recovery of bioactive compounds and the antioxidant activity of the extract from unripe Sangiovese grapes obtained at an industrial-scale and the composition of the extract during processing. The extraction yield was approximately 75%. During the extraction, the total phenol (TP), antioxidant activity (AA) total anthocyanin (TAnt), pantothenic acid and choline content significantly increased. High concentrations of TP (2522 mgCATeq/L), AA (8227 μmolTEAC/L) and total water-soluble vitamins (1397 μg/L) were reached at the end of process. The antioxidant activity of the extract was positively correlated with all the phenol compounds and the highest correlations were found with procyanidin B1 (r = 0.994; p-value < 0.004), procyanidin B2 (r = 0.989; p-value < 0.004), kaempferol 3-O-glucoside (r = 0.995; p-value < 0.004) and quercetin 3-O-hexoside (r = 0.995; p-value < 0.071). Our findings contribute to the knowledge of the bioactive composition of unripe grapes. An efficient industrial-scale “green” extraction method, ready to be transferred to the wine sector, was developed to obtain a safe extract with a high concentration of bioactive compounds.