Extraction of β-carotene from pumpkin peel using environmentally methods and encapsulation of the extract obtained

In this study, it is aimed to investigate the usability of environmentally solvents and methods as an alternative to petroleum-based solvents such as hexane in the extraction of β-carotene from pumpkin peel. For this purpose, sunflower oil was used as a solvent, and the extraction process was carried out by using traditional and ultrasound methods. Additionally, the effect of surfactants on extraction was researched and optimum conditions of all methods were determined by the Response Surface Method. Optimization of the encapsulation of the obtained β-carotene-loaded sunflower oil by alginate bead method was made and the usability of this β-carotene-loaded sunflower oil in mayonnaise production was also investigated. According to the results of the research, the optimum conditions for obtaining β-carotene from pumpkin peel using sunflower oil with the traditional method were determined as 60 °C and 3 hours, and optimum ultrasonic extraction conditions were determined as 44 °C, 28 minutes, 42% amplitude and 1% feed rate. The most effective result in terms of efficiency in β-carotene extraction using sunflower oil was obtained by using the microemulsion system as the solvent, and the highest β-carotene gain was achieved when 0.148% lecithin and 1.852% PGPR were used among the emulsifiers tested. Optimum conditions in terms of β-carotene efficiency and shape homogeneity in the optimization of the encapsulation of the loaded oil with the alginate beads method determined as a 1% alginate concentration, 1:1 (alginate:loaded oil) feed ratio, 1.5 cm height and 74 µL/min flow rate. It was observed that encapsulation of β-carotene-loaded oil by the alginate beads method prevented the degradation of β-carotene during storage process. At 55 °C, the loss of β-carotene was determined as 14.42% and 25.81%, respectively after a 15-day storage period, compared to the start of storage of loaded oil and free-form β-carotene-loaded sunflower oil encapsulated by alginate beads. The mayonnaise produced using β-carotene-loaded sunflower oil was liked more by the panelists than the mayonnaise produced with untreated oil, and it was concluded from the panelist comments that the orange-yellowish color of the product increased its appeal and likability. It has been observed that β-carotene in mayonnaise has a positive effect on storage stability, especially reducing the creation of primary oxidation products.