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Volume 7 / Issue 4 / 51 / http://dx.doi.org/10.21931/RB/2022.07.04.51
Extraction and characterization of phenolic compounds with antioxidant
and antimicrobial activity from avocado seed (Persea americana mill)
Dorely David1, Andrés Felipe Alzate2, Benjamín Rojano2, Ledys S. Copete-Pertuz3, Ricardo Echeverry4, Jhony Gutierrez4, Isabel Cristina
Zapata-Vahos4*
Abstract: The increase in the demand for Hass avocado has brought a rise in the generation of inedible waste such as peel
and seed, by-products that are rich in bioactive substances. In the present study, aqueous, ethanolic, and supercritical uid
extracts were obtained from fresh seed and dry seed, which were analyzed to determine the antioxidant capacity measured
through 2,2-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl free radical (DPPH); 2,2′-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid (ABTS),
ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) and oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) methods as well as the content
of phenolic compounds. In addition, the antimicrobial activity of strains of food interest, such as Listeria monocytogenes,
Salmonella enterica Typhimurium and Escherichia coli was evaluated. The ethanolic extract of fresh seed presented the
highest antioxidant and antimicrobial activity. The aqueous extract of fresh seed registered a signicant antioxidant capacity
but an absence of antimicrobial activity. In contrast, the ethanolic extract of dry seed showed a representative antimicrobial
activity on both S. enterica Typhimurium and L. monocytogenes, but low antioxidant activity. E. coli exhibited resistance
against all the assessed extracts. The results from this work highlight the opportunity to consider the Hass avocado seed
extracts as a novel alternative to replace or reduce the use of synthetic antioxidant and antimicrobial additives in food.
Key words: Waste by-product, Aqueous extract, Ethanolic extract, Supercritical extraction, Polyphenols, Free radical.
ARTICLE / INVESTIGACIÓN
Introduction
Persea americana Miller (Lauraceae) is an evergreen
tree native to Central America and cultivated in tropical and
subtropical areas. Its cultivation is highly valued because it
presents an edible fruit known as an avocado that can ri-
pen even after being harvested1. There are several varieties
of this fruit; the Hass variety is the most accepted one by
consumers. It is estimated that between ve and six million
tons of avocados are harvested annually, which continues
to grow due to increased demand2. Hass avocado has die-
rent organoleptic and nutritional qualities that dierentiate it
from other fruits, including a smooth texture and a pleasant
avor and color. It stands out for its high content of fat-so-
luble vitamins, phytosterols, proteins and monounsaturated
fatty acids such as linoleic acid3. These compounds have
been widely related as benecial for health against metabo-
lic disorders such as hypercholesterolemia, arterial hyper-
tension, diabetes and fatty liver disease4,5.
An edible portion of the avocado is only a part of the
whole fruit. It mainly corresponds to the pulp, consumed
directly or used as the main ingredient for the production
of guacamole or sauce or for the oil extraction that can be
used in food, cosmetics or pharmaceutical preparations; the
rest of the fruit is usually discarded or little used6,7. Avocado
residues are the peel and the seed that together represent
between 30-33% of the total weight of the fruit, being the
seed approximately 15 to 16%8. These by-products are cu-
rrently considered a promising source of various bioactive
compounds, among which polyphenolic combinations stand
out, such as avonoids, phenolic acids, and tannins9,10.
Several epidemiological studies have shown that a re-
gular intake of polyphenols, especially avonoids, reduces
the impact of chronic diseases such as diabetes, various
types of cancer and cardiovascular and neurodegenerative
diseases11,12. The ability to trap free radicals generated in
the course of these diseases is the mechanism that part-
ly explains the contribution of these substances to a redu-
ced occurrence of these pathologies13. On the other hand,
polyphenols are also used as natural antioxidants, helping
to increase the shelf life of food and other consumer pro-
ducts14. Likewise, many reports of antibacterial and antifun-
gal capacity for these substances15.
Signicant amounts of procyanidins A and B have
been reported in Hass avocado seed16. Also citric acid, hy-
droxytyrosol glucoside, caeoylquinic acid, tyrosol glucosi-
de, catechin and quercetin derivatives, and vanillic acid. A
higher sterol content has also been reported in the seed
extracts than in the pulp, which has also shown anti-inam-
matory, anticarcinogenic and increased free radical scaven-
ging potential17.
Based on this, the present study aimed to obtain super-
1 Tecnoparque Nodo Rionegro. Grupo de Investigación en Innovación y Agroindustria (GIIA). Centro de la Innovación La Agroindustria y la Aviación, Servi-
cio Nacional de Aprendizaje - SENA, Vereda la Bodega-Zona Franca-Bodegas 14 y 15, CP 054040 Rionegro, Colombia.
2 Laboratorio Ciencia de los Alimentos, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Nacional de Colombia– Sede Medellín, Medellín, Colombia.
3 Compañía Nacional de Levaduras, Valle del Cauca, Colombia.
4 Universidad Católica de Oriente, Facultad Ciencias de la Salud, Grupo de investigación APS.
Corresponding author: izapata@uco.edu.co
DOI. 10.21931/RB/2022.07.04.51
Citation: David D, Alzate A F, Rojano B, Copete-Pertuz L S, Jhony Gutierrez R E, Zapata-Vahos I C. Extraction and characterization of
phenolic compounds with antioxidant and antimicrobial activity from avocado seed (Persea americana mill). Revis Bionatura 2022;7(4) 51.
http://dx.doi.org/10.21931/RB/2022.07.04.51
Received: 25 December 2021 / Accepted: 12 June 2022 / Published: 15 November 2022
http://www.revistabionatura.com
Publisher’s Note: Bionatura stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional aliations.
Copyright: © 2022 by the authors. Submitted for possible open access publication under the terms and conditions of the
Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
2
critical uids extracts of Hass avocado seed, evaluating the
antioxidant activities and antibacterial eects (against foo-
dborne pathogens microorganisms present in food such as
Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella enterica Typhimurium
and Escherichia coli).
Materials and methods
Plant material
The samples of avocado fruits (P. americana Mill. cv.
Hass) were collected in Guarne (average temperature: 21
ºC and altitude: 2,150 m.a.s.l.) department of Antioquia, Co-
lombia.
Once the material was pulped, the seeds were sani-
tized with an antibacterial solution of 0.3%v/v citrosan for
5 minutes. After the disinfection process, the material was
cut into smaller pieces with a knife. Half of this material was
ground and labeled FS, Fresh Seed. Another half of the
seeds were dried at 50 °C for six hours and nely crushed in
a cyclone-type laboratory mill (Udy Corporation, Colorado,
USA); this material was labeled DS, Dry Seeds.
Extraction of bioactive compounds
Extraction with ethanol and water
Ethanolic and aqueous extracts were prepared sepa-
rately using 10 g of seed powder (DS and FS) and 50 mL
of each solvent. The mixtures were homogenized in ultra-
turrax at 9000 rpm for 5 min (IKA-Werk, Staufen, German)
and centrifuged for 15 min at 5000 ×g. Subsequently, the
supernatants were added in amber asks, and 50 mL of
the solvents were added to the precipitates again to homo-
genize and centrifuge them a second time. Finally, the two
supernatants were mixed and stored at -20°C until use18.
Table 1 shows the identication and coding of the samples
according to the extraction method used.
Extraction by supercritical uid
Extraction was carried out in a Speed SFE Applied Se-
parations equipment (Pennsylvania, USA) with a capacity
of 100 mL. CO2 in the supercritical state was employed as
extraction solvent using temperatures (40°C and 50°C) un-
der pressures of 20 MPa and 30 MPa. In this experiment,
30 g of dried seeds in the avocado powder were taken and
extracted for 40 min, and later the extract was stored in
sealed test tubes at -20°C until the tests were carried out19.
Extraction capacity supercritical uid was expressed in per-
centage. Assays were performed in triplicate.
Total polyphenol content
Polyphenol quantication was performed by the Fo-
lin-Ciocalteau colorimetric method, with some modica-
tions20. In test tubes, 50 µL of the sample, 125 µL of Fo-
lin-Ciocalteau reagent, 425 µL of sodium carbonate solution
(7.1%), and water to complete 1000 µL were mixed. The re-
action mixture was kept in the darkness for 60 min, and after
this time, the absorbance was determined at 760 nm in a
PG-Instruments spectrophotometer (Leicestershire, United
Kingdom). A calibration curve was made using gallic acid as
a standard. The results were expressed as equivalent gallic
acid per 100 g sample (mg GAE/100 g).
Antioxidant capacity tests
DPPH free radical scavenging activity
The antioxidant activity of Hass avocado seeds was
evaluated by the ability to trap the stable radical DPPH
(2,2-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl free radical), according to the
methodology reported by Rojano (2011)21 with some mo-
dications. In a test tube, 10 µL of sample and 990 µL of
a DPPH solution (0.2 mM) were added. The exact amount
of DPPH and 10 µL of the sample solvent were used as a
reference. After 30 min of reaction, the absorbance at 517
nm was measured in a Multiskan Spectrum spectrophoto-
meter (Thermo-Scientic, Waltham, MA, USA). The calibra-
tion curve was constructed using Trolox as a reference an-
tioxidant, and the results were reported as equivalent μmol
Trolox per 100 g of sample (μmol TE/100 g).
ABTS free radical scavenging activity
The antiradical ability of Hass avocado seeds is based
on the discoloration of ABTS•+. The cationic radical ABTS•+
was generated by an oxidation reaction of ABTS (2,2'-azi-
no-bis-(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6 ammonium sulfonate) with
potassium persulfate according to the methodology des-
cribed by Rojano (2011) 21. In the assay, 10 μL of sample
and 990 μL of ABTS•+ solution were used; after 30 min of
reaction, the change in absorbance with respect to a refe-
rence was determined at 734 nm. The reference consisted
of a mixture of 990 µL of ABTS•+ radical solution and 10
µL of sample solvent. A calibration curve was constructed
using Trolox as the reference antioxidant, and the results
were reported as equivalent μmol Trolox per 100 g of sam-
ple (μmol TE/100 g).
Ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) assay
FRAP methodology evaluates the ability of a sample
to reduce the complex formed between iron and TPTZ
(2,4,6-tripyridyl-s-triazine), where iron in its ferric form (Fe+3)
becomes ferrous iron (Fe+2). This change can be measured
spectrophotometrically22. A 50 μL portion of the sample was
mixed with 900 μL of a FRAP solution (1 mL of 10 mmol/L
TPTZ and 1 mL of 20 mmol/L FeCl3 in 10 mL of pH 3.4
acetate buer). The mixture was incubated for 30 min, and
the absorbance was measured at 593 nm on a multiscan
spectrum spectrophotometer (Thermo-Scientic). A stan-
dard curve was made using ascorbic acid as a reference.
The results were expressed as equivalent mg of ascorbic
acid per 100 g sample (mg AAE/100 g).
Assays for Hydrophilic and Lipophilic Antioxidant
Capacity (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity - ORAC)
Experiments employed Trolox as a standard and con-
trolled temperature and pH conditions (37 °C and 7.4, res-
pectively). The assay was determined by diluting Trolox in
75 mM phosphate buer (pH 7.4) and water-acetone (1:1,
v/v) for ORAC-H (Hydrophilic) and in 7% β-methyl cyclo-
dextrin for ORAC-L (Lipophilic). An excitation and emission
wavelength of 493 nm and 515 nm, respectively, were used.
3 mL of the following mixture were prepared: 21 µL of a 10
mM uorescein solution, 2899 µL of phosphate buer, 50
µL of 600 mM AAPH, and 30 µL of the sample or 500 mM
Trolox; as a control, the sample solvent was used. The an-
tioxidant eect was calculated using the dierences in areas
under the uorescence intensity decay curve between the
negative control and the sample, and it was compared
Dorely David, Andrés Felipe Alzate, Benjamín Rojano, Ledys S. Copete-Pertuz, Ricardo Echeverry, Jhony Gutierrez, Isabel Cristina Zapata-Vahos
Volume 7 / Issue 4 / 51 • http://www.revistabionatura.com
3
against the area under the Trolox curve23. The results were
expressed as equivalent Trolox values (μmol TE/100 g of
sample), according to Equation 1.
dried Hass avocado seeds (DS) under dierent pressure
and temperature conditions, the capacity in the extract pro-
duction was measured (Table 2). The highest extraction ca-
Extraction and characterization of phenolic compounds with antioxidant and antimicrobial activity from avocado seed (Persea americana mill)
Where AUC is the area under the curve corresponding
to the sample, control or Trolox, and f is the concentration
ratio between Trolox and the sample.
Antibacterial activity
The antimicrobial capacity of the extracts was deter-
mined using the good diusion methodology for 3 strains
of foodborne pathogenic bacteria, Escherichia coli (ATCC
25922), Salmonella enterica Typhimurium (ATCC 14028)
and Listeria monocytogenes (ATCC 19118) at the rst pass,
according to the procedures described by Hudzicki24. This
methodology allows us to measure and compare the areas
of inhibition of microbial growth of the extracts. The activa-
tion of the pathogenic microorganisms was carried out 24
h before the tests on the trypticase soy agar (TSA) method
reported by Davidson and Parish25. They were seeded by
the streak method and incubated at 37 °C. After activation,
the colonies were inoculated in Brain Heart Infusion (BHI),
then the microorganisms were standardized on a scale
of 0.5 Mac Farland; later, the solution was seeded on the
surface Muller Hinton agar. Besides, four equidistant wells
were made in the culture medium to obtain a circular well
to the bottom of the Petri dishes. Then, randomly, 100 µL of
each extract covered each well, and the Petri dishes were
incubated for 24 h at 37 °C. Water and ethanol were used
as negative controls (C-), and ciprooxacin antibiotic (160
mg/mL) as positive control (C+). In addition, two Petri di-
shes were left with only the culture medium as environmen-
tal control. The results were reported as the inhibition halo
diameter around the wells measured in millimeters (mm). All
assays were performed in triplicate.
Statistical analysis
The results of the antioxidant capacity were analyzed
using the analysis of variance (ANOVA) followed by Tukey’s
multiple comparison tests at 5% level of probability. The
tests were carried out with the R Studio software version
3.5.0.
Results and discussion
Dierent Hass avocado seed extracts were obtained
from some processes such as supercritical uid extrac-
tion, as well as percolating and mechanical maceration
with water and ethanol for both fresh seeds (FS) and for
seeds that were dried at 50 ºC (DS) (Table 1). In total, 8
dierent extracts were analyzed to determine the presence
and content of total polyphenols and phenolic acids; a com-
plete antioxidant characterization was also carried out, and
nally, the antibacterial capacity was presented on three of
the main pathogenic bacteria. The results were promising
and allowed further progress in using this by-product as a
source of bioactive substances.
Extraction of bioactive substances
After performing the supercritical uid extraction of the
pacity (2.01%) was reached at 50 °C and 30 MPa pressure,
followed by 50 °C and 20 MPa (1.63%), which indicates that
a higher temperature substantially improves the extractive
processes of this seed when this extraction methodology
is used.
The extracts obtained presented lipophilic characte-
ristics and, according to Daiuto et al. (2014)26. Hass avo-
cado seed gives 3.32% lipids. However, these values may
vary depending on the height and soil where the avocado
is grown; this would explain why supercritical uid extrac-
tion using CO2 as a solvent is very ecient in extracting
lipid compounds. The extraction capacity results achieved
in this research are comparable with those reported by Po-
lania (2014)27, who obtained extractions capacities of 0.5%
at 10 MPa and 60 °C, using ethyl acetate and 3% ethanol
as cosolvent and capabilities of 3.6% with 6% methanol at
15 MPa and 50 °C.
Total polyphenol content
The Hass avocado seed extracts presented signicant
values of total polyphenols; the results are shown in Table
3. The extraction of fresh seeds (FS) with ethanol was the
one that presented the best results (10.65 mg GAE/g), fo-
llowed by aqueous extraction for FS (8.28 mg GAE/g); whe-
reas the seeds dried (DS) had a polyphenol content much
lower than FS. These results indicate that the drying of the
sources, despite being at a relatively low temperature (50
ºC), caused signicant degradation of this compound. Si-
milar results have been reported by Segovia-Gomez et al.
(2014)28, who evaluated a process to optimize the extrac-
tion of polyphenols with dierent proportions of ethanol. The
phenolic compounds in the seed extracts are of great impor-
tance since they are part of a group of secondary metabo-
lites considered natural antioxidants with potential benets
for human health: anticancer activity, anti-inammatory acti-
vity 17, and inhibition of gastric ulcer formation29.
Table 1. Identication and coding of samples obtained by
dierent extraction methods for Hass avocado seeds.
4
Antioxidant capacity
Considering that oxidation reactions are complex and
that the bioactive substances present in Hass avocado
seeds can exert their antioxidant action by dierent mecha-
nisms, dierent antioxidant tests, based on the transfer of
an electron (DPPH, FRAP and ABTS) and transfer of hy-
drogen atoms (ORAC), were carried out in this research to
characterize the antioxidant potential of this by-product30.
The antioxidant capacity of the FS and DS extracts in water,
and ethanol is presented in Table 3. The highest antioxi-
dant activity was obtained for the ethanolic extract of fresh
seed (FS-EtOH), reaching the highest values in the dierent
antioxidant tests, followed by fresh seed extract with water
(FS-H2O). On the other hand, the dry seed extracts in wa-
ter (DS-H2O) and ethanol (DS-EtOH) showed lower values,
demonstrating a low antioxidant capacity. From this, it is in-
ferred that the high antioxidant capacity presented by the
FS extracts is directly related to the higher content of total
polyphenols presented by these samples and that the heat
treatment showed a signicant decrease in the antioxidant
capacity.
The results attained by FRAP showed that Hass avo-
cado seed extracts present reducing substances that con-
tribute to the total antioxidant capacity, especially FS-H2O
and FS-EtOH, which have the highest values. Other authors
reported similar behaviors of reducing power in ethanolic
extracts from avocado seeds with values among 0.28 - 0.73
mg/mL FeSO4
31.
The response of the DPPH free radical scavenging ca-
pacity was superior for FS compared to DS in water and
ethanol. Some studies that have characterized the avocado
found that the Hass variety contains greater antioxidant ca-
pacity than other avocado varieties, such as Fuerte. Wang
and others (2010) evaluated the parts of the Hass avoca-
do, nding 189.8 µmol TE/g FW in the peel and 164.6 µmol
TE/g FW in the seed6.
In ABTS assays, a similar behavior to DPPH and FRAP
was evidenced, nding that the FS-EtOH sample presented
the highest trapping of the cationic radical ABTS•+, followed
by FS-H2O. In another investigation, values of 300 µmol
TE/g DW were reported for avocado seeds30, taller than
those found in this work. Some authors have reported the
presence of procyanidins, catechins, epicatechins, caeo-
ylquinic acid, vanillic acid, avonoids, phenylpropanoids
and tannins, among others, in by-products of avocado32,33;
compounds that contribute to the stabilization of DPPH and
ABTS free radicals. Thus, the Hass avocado seed extracts
presented a high reducing power and a remarkable antioxi-
dant capacity by the methodologies used in this research.
Regarding the ability to trap oxygen free radicals
(ORAC), this methodology was used in its two variants; the
hydrophilic variant (ORAC-H) was performed on the ex-
tracts of FS and DS obtained in water and ethanol, and the
lipophilic variant (ORAC-L) was used for the seed extracts
which were attained by supercritical uid. Results are sum-
marized in Table 4.
The aqueous extracts had a greater capacity to trap the
hydroxyl radical (52.23 µmol TE/ g sample and 51.47 µmol
TE/ g sample for DS-H2O and FS-H2O, respectively) than
the ethanolic extracts (10.62 µmol TE/ g sample and 14.75
µmol TE/ g sample for DS-EtOH and FS-EtOH, respecti-
vely), showing statistically signicant dierences. Regar-
ding the lipophilic samples, no statistically signicant die-
rences were found, ORAC-L values were around 30 µmol
TE/ g sample. The potential of these extracts to trap radicals
is very important due to the harmful eect of free radicals in
food and various biological systems34.
Wang et al. (2010)6 reported ORAC activity in various
avocado varieties, nding 428.8 µmol equivalents of Tro-
lox TE/g of fresh seed for the Hass variety. The authors
Table 2. Percentage of extraction capacity by super-
critical uid of dried Hass avocado seeds.
Table 3. Antioxidant capacity and content of antioxidant metabolites of aqueous and ethanolic extracts of Hass avocado seeds.
Dorely David, Andrés Felipe Alzate, Benjamín Rojano, Ledys S. Copete-Pertuz, Ricardo Echeverry, Jhony Gutierrez, Isabel Cristina Zapata-Vahos
Volume 7 / Issue 4 / 51 • http://www.revistabionatura.com
5
found, for 7 types studied, that in the avocado seed, there
is a remarkable antioxidant activity measured by DPPH and
ORAC, in addition to the content of phenols and procyani-
din, which were above the results indicated for the avocado
skin and pulp. Another investigation reported ORAC acti-
vity of 310 µmol Trolox/g, dry weight30. Soong and Barlow
(2004)35 reported that the content of secondary metabolites
and the antioxidant capacity are higher in the seed than in
the Hass avocado pulp.
Antibacterial capacity
Figure 1 illustrates the inhibition halos for S. Typhi-
murium (ATCC 14028), L. monocytogenes (ATCC 19118)
and E. coli (ATCC 25922) facing the extracts evaluated.
Signicant dierences (p-value <0.05) with respect to the
positive control (ciprooxacin, 160 mg/mL) were found. The
FS-EtOH and DS-EtOH extracts presented a greater grow-
th inhibition of L. monocytogenes and S. Typhimurium than
the others. Ethanolic extracts were obtained from fresh and
dry seeds, reaching an inhibition range similar to the po-
sitive control, with diameters of 38.16 mm and 26.94 mm
for L. monocytogenes and 26.17 mm and 19.90 mm. for S.
Typhimurium, respectively (Figure 1). Some studies attribu-
te this activity to compounds such as phytosterols, triterpe-
nes, fatty acids, furoic acids, avonoids, polyphenols, and
proanthocyanidins36. Raymond and Dykes (2010)37 repor-
ted higher antimicrobial activity of ethanolic extracts than
aqueous ones in Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacte-
ria except for E. coli, with minimum inhibitory concentrations
of 104.2 μg/mL for Salmonella enteritidis and 416.7 μg/mL
for L. monocytogenes.
The FSC2 and FSC3 extracts showed growth inhibition
of L. monocytogenes, whereas the other extracts evalua-
ted did not show an antimicrobial eect. E. coli presented
resistance against all assessed extracts, and both positive
and negative (water and ethanol) control behaved accor-
ding to expectations (Figure 1). The results obtained for E.
coli agree with results previously reported by Hennessey
(2019)38, who found resistance from Staphylococcus au-
reus subsp. ATCC 29213 and E. coli against Lorena variety
avocado seed extracts extracted with solutions of sodium
hydroxide, ethanol, and water; while Romaní et al. (2017)39
found that the ethyl acetate fraction of the seeds of Per-
sea americana Mill, Hass variety, presented phenolic com-
pounds with antibacterial activity at a concentration of 10%
facing the E. coli strain with a minimum inhibitory concentra-
tion of 0.625 mg/mL. Rodríguez et al. (2011)40 evaluated the
antimicrobial activity of the seed, skin and pulp of two varie-
Table 4. ORAC values of extracts obtained by supercritical uid, water and ethanol from fresh and dried Hass avocado seeds.
Figure 1. Antibacterial acti-
vity of FS-EtOH, DS-EtOH,
FS-H2O, DS-H2O, SFC1,
SFC2, SFC3, SFC4 avoca-
do seed extracts, C+ and
C- on L. monocytogenes,
S. typhimurium and E. coli.
The same letters per co-
lumn mean that there are
no signicant dierences.
Extraction and characterization of phenolic compounds with antioxidant and antimicrobial activity from avocado seed (Persea americana mill)
6
ties of avocado on E. coli CECT 4267. The authors found
antimicrobial activity for the Fuerte variety and resistance
facing the Hass variety extract, which suggests dependen-
ce of the antimicrobial response to the plant variety and the
type of solvent used in the extraction processes.
Conclusions
The seeds generated as by-products of avocado indus-
trialization are an interesting source of extracts with essen-
tial concentrations of polyphenols and antimicrobial poten-
tial. In this work, dierent extracts were obtained in various
solvents, and the best results of antioxidant and antimicro-
bial capacity were for the ethanolic extract of fresh seed
(FS-EtOH), being very eective in the growth inhibition of S.
Typhimurium and L. monocytogenes microorganisms. The
aqueous extract of fresh seed (FS-H2O) also had a great
antioxidant capacity, although it did not show any inhibitory
eect on the bacteria evaluated. The dry seed ethanolic ex-
tract (DS-EtOH) showed signicant antimicrobial activity on
S. typhimurium and L. monocytogenes, but low antioxidant
activity. With these results, natural Hass avocado seed ex-
tracts can be considered a good alternative in the food in-
dustry to replace or reduce the use of antioxidant additives
and synthetic antimicrobial agents.
Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank Servicio Nacional de
Aprendizaje -SENA (Tecnoparque nodo Rionegro) and the
Universidad Católica de Oriente (UCO) for the nancial su-
pport of this research.
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Extraction and characterization of phenolic compounds with antioxidant and antimicrobial activity from avocado seed (Persea americana mill)
