Digital Technologies in the Search of Optimal Solutions for the Production of Berry Pomace Extracts

In the production of juices from berries, a large amount of pomace is formed. The article is devoted to the optimization of the conditions for the production of aqueous extracts with antioxidant properties from pomace (waste from juice production) under the influence of microwaves. The search for optimal extraction conditions was performed using the response surface methodology (RSM). On the example of raw pomace of bilberries formed after juicing, the extraction was carried out; the pomace/water ratio was 1:10. Power (144-800 W) and time (30-180 sec.) of microwave exposure were used as variables for extraction. The tendency to increase the yield of dry matter with increasing power and time of microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) and the absence of such a relationship for the antioxidant activity of DPPH and FRAP were observed during extraction. The optimization of the extraction conditions was determined by the maximum values of the antioxidant activity of DPPH and FRAP of aqueous extracts of bilberry pomace, which were 12.3 and 15.8 μg AA/ml, respectively. The optimal parameters found by using RSM were: for DPPH the microwave power was 778.2 W, the extraction time 80.2 seconds; for FRAP the microwave power was 780.6 W, the extraction time was 78.8 sec. The obtained second-degree polynomial equation made it possible to calculate the duration of microwave exposure for extraction using microwave ovens with different maximum power, W: 700, 800, 900, 1000. The predicted extraction conditions were verified using microwave ovens with maximum power from 700 to 1000 W.