Please cite this article in press as: Galván D’Alessandro, L., et al., Kinetics of ultrasound assisted extraction of anthocyanins from Aronia melanocarpa (black chokeberry) wastes. Chem. Eng. Res. Des. (2013), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cherd.2013.11.020 ARTICLE IN PRESS CHERD-1426; No. of Pages 9 chemical engineering research and design x x x ( 2 0 1 3 ) xxx–xxx Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Chemical Engineering Research and Design j ourna l h omepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/cherd Kinetics of ultrasound assisted extraction of anthocyanins from Aronia melanocarpa (black chokeberry) wastes Leandro Galván D’Alessandro, Krasimir Dimitrov ∗ , Peggy Vauchel, Iordan Nikov Laboratoire des Procédés Biologiques, Génie Enzymatique et Microbien (ProBioGEM), UPRES-EA 1026, Polytech’Lille/IUT A, Université Lille Nord de France, Avenue Paul Langevin, 59655 Villeneuve d’Ascq Cedex, France a b s t r a c t Black chokeberry fruits are very rich in antioxidant phenolics. After juice extraction, the wastes of pressed berries (juice production by-products) still contain important amount of phenolic species and namely anthocyanins. Ultra- sound assisted extraction (UAE) from such wastes was studied. The influence of extraction time (0–240 min), temperature (20–70 ◦ C), solvent composition (0–50% ethanol in water) and ultrasound power (0–100 W) on antho- cyanins and polyphenols yields and on antioxidant capacity of the extracts was studied. High temperature and ethanol content in the solvent improved greatly the extraction yields. Ultrasounds improved mainly the extraction kinetics. Ultrasound effect was higher in the beginning of extraction process and at low temperatures. Suitabil- ity of UAE for preparation of antioxidant-rich plant extracts at reduced time and energy was confirmed obtaining high extraction efficiencies and high antioxidant capacities of Aronia extracts. To optimize extraction conditions a kinetic mathematical model, based on Peleg’s equation and considering also the rate of anthocyanins thermal degra- dation, was proposed. The influences of extraction time, temperature, solvent composition and ultrasound power on polyphenols and anthocyanins yields and on antioxidant capacity were considered. The optimal conditions for anthocyanins extraction predicted by this model were experimentally validated. © 2013 The Institution of Chemical Engineers. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. Keywords: Ultrasound assisted extraction; Anthocyanins; Extraction kinetics; Mathematical model; Aronia melanocarpa; Polyphenols 1. Introduction Aronia melanocarpa (black chokeberry) fruits are among the richest on anthocyanins plant sources (Wu et al., 2004). The high content of these phenolics seems to correlate to the antioxidant activity reported for these berries (Kähkönen et al., 1999). Anthocyanins are water-soluble glycosides of anthocyanidins, normally found in the skin of fruits and responsible for the blue, red, purple and black colors of the fruits. Generally, they are considered as nonnutritive agents. However, several beneficial effects on health have been reported for anthocyanin-rich berries (Hou, 2003; Lau et al., 2006; Tall et al., 2004). Chokeberries and their extracts are useful for the prevention and treatment of diabetes ∗ Corresponding author. Tel.: +33 328767408; fax: +33 328767356. E-mail address: krasimir.dimitrov@polytech-lille.fr (K. Dimitrov). Received 24 July 2013; Received in revised form 16 September 2013; Accepted 16 November 2013 (Jayaprakasam et al., 2005; Gasiorowski et al., 1997), cardio- vascular disease (Naruszewicz et al., 2007) and colon cancer (Zhao et al., 2004). Due to the high amount of anthocyanins, Aronia berries have been also highlighted as a suitable and rather cheap source of food colorant (Kraemer-Schafhalter et al., 1998; Bridle and Timberlake, 1997). In North and East European countries black chokeberry is very popular, mainly for large-scale production of juices, jams and wines (González- Molina et al., 2008; Kokotkiewicz et al., 2010). In fact, Aronia juice exhibits the highest antioxidant capacity among the polyphenol-rich beverages (Kulling and Rawel, 2008). After juice extraction, many phenolic compounds and especially anthocyanins, are still present in the solid waste and could be valorized by suitable extraction process. Similar valorizations 0263-8762/$ – see front matter © 2013 The Institution of Chemical Engineers. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cherd.2013.11.020