In the work presented herein, we aimed to optimize a sustainable method to obtain silverskin
extracts with the highest possible amount of antioxidants. The
effect of the main variables affecting the extraction yields and
antioxidant activity of extracts were studied, namely, solvent polarity,
temperature and time of extraction. Water and ethanol were
selected because of their low toxicity. In order to modulate the
solvent polarity, different ratio mixtures (25:75, 50:50 and 75:25)
were used. An experimental design for analyzing the effects of
time and temperature of extraction was performed for each solvent
mixture. Extracts were compared regarding their total phenolics,
flavonoids and tannins contents. Moreover, their antioxidant
capacity was assessed by two complementary procedures, namely,
the ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) method and the
1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radical (DPPH•) scavenging capacity
assay.