Effective Production of Bioactive Phenolic Compounds from Olive Stones

Olive stones (OS) are a by-product generated in the olive oil production process. This residue is obtained in industries after the oil extraction process, and it is recognized as an interesting feedstock for the production of bioenergy and value-added products. Nevertheless, currently, it is only used as a low-cost solid biofuel for combustion. An alternative valorization approach has been developed based on an acid-catalyzed process for the solubilization of hemicelluloses [1] and the production of furfural [2]. This process yields a solid cellulose and lignin-rich material, which can be further upgraded. In this work, an organosolv process for the delignification of the material and improvement of the enzymatic digestibility was applied and optimized. The organosolv stage was carried out with an ethanol:water ratio (50:50, w/w) in a Parr reactor, varying the temperature (140–190 °C) and the addition of the catalyst (0–100 mM H2SO4). The liquid fraction obtained was analyzed to evaluate the presence of value-added products, such as phenolic compounds with antioxidant activity. The total phenolic content was determined by the Folin–Ciocalteu method, obtaining a phenol concentration between 5 and 13 g GAE/L, corresponding to a phenol yield of 8 g GAE/100 g of processed material, which ranks in the range of those obtained from other plant sources, in other olive by-products such as exhausted olive pomace, up to 9 g GAE/100 g of extract have been reported [3]. The phenolic profile was obtained by capillary electrophoresis analysis, allowing the identification, among others, of vanillin and syringaldehyde as naturally occurring flavor components exhibiting antioxidant and antimicrobial properties. Therefore, with the present study, we were able to determine that the liquor obtained after the organosolv pretreatment of olive stones can also be valued as a bio-source of non-synthetic preservatives and additives for the food industry.