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Biocatalysis Meets Green Extraction: A Case Study on Origanum dictamnus L.
1 , 1 , 2 , * 1
1  Biotechnology Laboratory, School of Chemical Engineering, National Technical University of Athens, Zografou Campus, 9 Iroon Polytechniou Str, 15780, Athens, Greece
2  Processes and Products Quality Control Horizontal Laboratory, School of Chemical Engineering, National Technical University of Athens, Zografou Campus, 9 Iroon Polytechniou Str, 15780, Athens, Greece
Academic Editor: Roger Narayan

Abstract:

Origanum dictamnus L. is a medicinal plant known for its rich content in bioactive compounds. The plant cell wall consists of structural polysaccharides such as cellulose, hemicellulose, pectin, along with lignin, proteins and bioactive compounds. These compounds are trapped within the plant cell wall or free in the cytocol of the plant cell. Enzyme-assisted extraction (EAE) is a green technology that relies on the enzymes ability to selectively degrade the plant cell wall, thereby facilitating the release of the bioactive compounds. In the present study, EAE of bioactive compounds from the leaves of Origanum dictamnus L. was applied using the commercial enzyme preparation Pectinex® Ultra Color (Novozymes). A Taguchi experimental design was employed to determine the optimal EAE conditions. The variables were enzyme loading (50, 100, and 200 U/mg), solid-to-liquid ratio (1, 4, and 7% w/v), and extraction time (1, 3, and 6 h). The responses were total phenolic content (TPC) and total flavonoid content (TFC). TPC was determined using the Folin–Ciocalteu method and TFC with the aluminum chloride method. Kinetic modelling of the extraction process for the optimum extract was carried out using first-order, second-order, Peleg’s, and power law models. EAE achieved the highest TPC yield 153.4 ± 3.4 mg GAE/g DW and TFC yield 81.3 ± 3.7 mg CAE/g DW at 1% w/v, 200 U/mg, and 1h, outperforming the conventional ethanol–water extraction up to 20%. These findings highlight EAE as an efficient technique with strong potential for scale-up and integration into industrial processes for the production of natural bioactive-rich extracts from Origanum Dictamnus L.

Keywords: Origanum dictamnus L.; Enzyme Assisted Extraction (EAE); Conventional extraction; Taguchi experimental design; Total flavonoid content (TFC); Total phenolic content (TPC); Kinetic modeling
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