Re-Valorization of Red Habanero Chili Pepper (Capsicum chinense Jacq.) Waste by Recovery of Bioactive Compounds: Effects of Different Extraction Processes

Inadequately managed agricultural waste significantly impacts the environment, health, and economy. This pollution stems from the underutilization, inadequate awareness, and insufficient treatment of agricultural waste. Fruit and vegetable wastes are valuable sources of bioactive compounds. This study aimed to revalorize discarded waste from red habanero chili peppers (Capsicum chinense Jacq.) by extracting bioactive compounds through different extraction processes: maceration (ME), maceration assisted by ultrasound (US), Soxhlet extraction (SE), supercritical fluid extraction (SFE), and supercritical fluid extraction with a co-solvent (SFEC). The extraction processes had significant effects on extraction efficiency and phytochemical profile (capsaicinoids and carotenoids recovery). The results indicated that the highest-efficiency process was SFEC, in addition to its high phytochemicals recovery (14.9 mg of total capsaicinoids and total carotenoids 292.09 µg per gram of sample). Concerning the phytochemical profile of the extract, the maceration process yielded the highest concentration of compounds, followed by US and SFEC. These data reveal that the use of the SFE and SFEC processes is recommended for extracting phytochemicals with biological activity from red habanero chili pepper waste for diverse industrial applications.