Supramolecular biosolvent extraction of antioxidants from orange peel residues from the tea industry

[Display omitted] •SUPRASs efficiently recovered antioxidants from orange peel dust (∼13 mg GAE/g).•Optimal SUPRASs were made up of sponge aggregates of 1,2-octanediol.•Extraction was done by simple mixing at room temperature during 30 min.•Hesperidin was the most abundant flavonoid (2.6 mg/g).•79 phenolics and natural compounds in SUPRAS extracts were identified by LC-QTOF-MS. The growing interest in natural antioxidants across various industries has spurred the development and use of alternative green methods for valorizing plant biomass. Supramolecular solvents (bioSUPRAS), composed of self-assembled amphiphilic aggregates, have shown significant potential for the recovery of high-value compounds from plant biomass for industrial applications while adhering to numerous green chemistry principles. In this study, we evaluated various bioSUPRAS (sponge bioSUPRAS of 1,2-octanediol and cubosomic bioSUPRAS of 1,2-hexanediol) and different extraction conditions for the recovery of antioxidants from orange peel waste generated by the tea industry. Sponge bioSUPRAS were selected as optimal and the best conditions for formation consisted of a medium of 15 % v/v of 1,3-propanediol as co-solvent and 85 % v/v of water (acidified with 1 % v/v acetic acid). The most suitable extraction conditions were 1:12 mL:g bioSUPRAS-to-solid ratio at room temperature for 30 min, resulting in a maximum yield of 12.9 ± 1.4 mg GAE/g. Using liquid chromatography coupled with high-resolution tandem mass spectrometry (LC-QTOF), we screened and quantified the natural compounds of interest, identifying the flavonoid hesperidin as the dominant antioxidant at 2.6 ± 0.06 mg/g. This research presents a promising method for valorizing underutilized orange peel waste and highlights the potential of these extracts as ingredients in new value-added formulations.