Andreea-Cristina Tecucianu, Simona Oancea
Full Text PDF |
cellulase, fructans, parsnip, phenolics, ultrasounds.
Parsnip (Pastinaca sativa L.) is a vegetable that gained attention due to its significant content of fructans, besides macronutrients and other biologically active compounds. The major compound of fructan class is inulin, an ingredient with prebiotic properties used in pharmaceutical and functional food industries. The main purpose of this study was to evaluate the extraction yield of fructans and phenolics in fresh and dried parsnip root following non-conventional techniques (ultrasound and enzyme -assisted extraction) and to compare it to that of the traditional method. Extraction was performed in water, as eco-friendly solvent. Ultrasound-assisted extraction was optimized for different extraction time (5, 10 and 15 minutes) at ultrasonic amplitude of 70%. The enzyme cellulase was used in the pre-treatment experiments. Enzyme-assisted extraction was optimized for different incubation temperature (40o, 50o and 55oC). Quantitative analysis of the investigated compounds was done using standard spectrophotometric methods. The results showed good extraction yields in ultrasonic and enzyme pre-treated extracts compared to those of samples extracted by traditional methods. High levels of inulin and phenolic compounds were obtained in ultrasonic extracts which undergoes an enzymatic treatment for 3h at 40oC.
