Valorisation of Blackcurrant Pomace by Extraction of Pectin-Rich Fractions: Structural Characterization and Evaluation as Multifunctional Cosmetic Ingredient

• Published in: Polymers 2024-09, Vol.16 (19), p.2779
• Main Authors: Ćorović, Marija, Petrov Ivanković, Anja, Milivojević, Ana, Veljković, Milica, Simović, Milica, López-Revenga, Paula, Montilla, Antonia, Moreno, Francisco Javier, Bezbradica, Dejan
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Acids; Antibiotics; Antioxidants; Chemical properties; Citric acid; Cosmetics; Esterification; Ethanol; Extraction (Chemistry); Health care; Materia medica, Vegetable; Mechanical properties; Methods; Microbiota; Microorganisms; Organic wastes; Pectin; Plant extracts; Polyphenols; Polysaccharides; Prebiotics; Raw materials; Skin care; Staphylococcus infections; Structural analysis; Waste management
• ISSN: 2073-4360; 2073-4360
• DOI: 10.3390/polym16192779

Blackcurrant pomace is a widely available waste stream derived from the industrial production of juice rich in pectin and unextracted polyphenols. Since pectin, an emerging class of gastrointestinal prebiotics, is also a common cosmetic ingredient, the aim of this work was to evaluate blackcurrant pomace as a source of pectin-rich fractions suitable for application in prebiotic cosmetics. Hereby, this raw material was valorised by sequential extraction of acid-soluble (by citric acid, CAP) and Ca-bound (by ammonium oxalate, AOPP) pectic polysaccharides. Both fractions had favourable physicochemical features and a similar degree of methyl-esterification between low- and high-methoxyl pectin (approx. 50%), but CAP had significantly higher galacturonic acid content (72.3%), branching, and purity. Regardless of that, both had very high oil (18.96 mL/g for CAP and 19.32 mL/g for AOPP) and water (9.97 mL/g for CAP and 7.32 mL/g for AOPP)-holding capacities and excellent emulsifying properties, making them promising cosmetic ingredients. The polyphenol content was 10 times higher in CAP, while corresponding antioxidant activity was 3-fold higher. Finally, the influence of varying CAP and AOPP concentrations on common skin pathogen, , and beneficial skin bacteria, , was examined. The results show significant prebiotic potential of two pectic fractions since they were capable of selectively stimulating , while growth was inhibited, whereas CAP demonstrated a particularly high capacity of up to 2.2, even with methicillin-resistant .