Resumen
Recently, much interest has been focused on Moringa oleifera L., a highly versatile and sustainable plant. In addition to its nutritional properties, numerous bioactive compounds have been identified in M. oleifera leaves, for which healthy properties have been reported. In the present research, the impact of ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) on the recovery of the bioactive compounds from leaves was investigated. Firstly, an experimental design approach has been used to highlight the influence of some extraction parameters (solvent, solvent/dry leaves ratio, temperature, time) on phenol compound recovery and antioxidant activity. Solvent composition was the most influential factor; in fact, the presence of water in the solvent (50:50, v/v) corresponded to an increase in the extraction performance. The liquid/solid ratio (L/S) also influenced the extraction process; in fact, the total phenol content reached 13.4 mg gallic acid equivalent (GAE)/g dry matter (DM) in the following UAE conditions: 50% water, 60:1 L/S ratio, 60 °C, 60 min. In order to quantify flavonols, hydroalcoholic extracts were analysed by HPLC-DAD (high performance liquid chromatography-diode array detector). In the flavonol class, the glycosidic forms of quercetin and kaempferol were mainly detected. Their content ranged from 216.4 µg/g DM of quercetin 3-O-rhamnoside to 293.9 µg/g DM of quercetin 3-O-(6?-O-malonyl)-ß-D-glucoside. In summary, the leaves of M. oleifera are a potential natural source of bioactive compounds, proving to be very promising for the development of health-promoting food supplements.