Bioactive components and antioxidant properties of γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) tea leaves

Various ethanolic concentrations (0–95%, v/v) and temperatures (25–95 °C) were used to extract γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) tea leaves. Extraction yields, and contents of total phenols, various catechins, GABA, theanine, and antioxidant properties of extracts were determined. The 50% (v/v) ethanol at 50–95 °C gave higher yields (32.05–32.56 g dried extract/100 g dried tea leaves). The bioactive components and antioxidant properties of extracts were affected by the ethanolic concentrations and temperatures. Among catechins, epigallocatechin gallate was the main catechin in all extracts, followed by epigallocatechin, epicatechin, epicatechin gallate, gallocatechin and gallocatechin gallate. The 50–75% (v/v) ethanol at 75–95 °C gave higher contents of ester type (102.92–104.54 mg/g extract) and non-ester type (61.75–63.55 mg/g extract) catechins. Water at 50–75 °C gave higher GABA and theanine contents and higher chelating ability of extracts. The 75% (v/v) ethanol at 25–75 °C gave higher scavenging ability and reducing power of extracts. Based on dried tea extracts or leaves results obtained, the optimal extraction conditions to maintain the total contents of various catechins, GABA and theanine in the maximum level were 50% ethanol (v/v) and 75–95 °C.     

Caffeic acid derivatives,total phenols,antioxidant and antimutagenic activities of Echinacea purpurea flower extracts

This study evaluated the effects of ethanol concentration and extraction temperature on the quality of extracts obtained from freeze-dried Echinacea purpurea flowers. The antioxidant and antimutagenic effects of flower extract were also examined. The optimal extraction conditions for freeze-dried flowers were 50% aqueous ethanol and 65 °C extraction temperature, with extraction yield of 37.4%. The contents of total phenols, caffeic acid derivatives, and cichoric acid in freeze-dried extracts were 473.34 mg chlorogenic acid equivalents/g, 302.20 mg/g and 217.61 mg/g, respectively. The 50% ethanolic flower extract did not show toxicity and mutagenicity toward Salmonella typhimurium TA98 and TA100 with or without S9 mix. The ethanolic extract at 0.25–5 mg/plate exhibits a dose-dependent inhibitory effect against the mutagenicity of 2-aminoanthracene. Thus, freeze-dried E. purpurea flower ethanolic extract exhibits good antioxidant and antimutaginic activities.     

Antioxidative Effect of Seaweed Extracts in Chilled Storage of Minced Atlantic Mackerel (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Scomber scombrus</Emphasis>): Effect on Lipid and Protein Oxidation

In this study, antioxidant activity of absolute ethanol, 50 % ethanol and water extracts of two species of seaweeds namely, Fucus serratus and Polysiphonia fucoides were evaluated for their ability to retard lipid and protein oxidation in minced mackerel. Mackerel mince added with 0.5 g/kg of extracts was prepared. For comparison, BHT at 0.2 g/kg and a control with no added extracts were also prepared. The samples were stored at 5 °C for 8 days, and sampling was done at time 0, 1, 2, 4, 5 and 8 days. The 50 % ethanolic extracts of P. fucoides were found to be very effective in retarding lipid and protein oxidation, as it resulted in low levels of peroxide value, volatiles and carbonyl compounds and protected against the loss of α-tocopherol and tryptophan residues. In spite of the higher phenolic content, the absolute ethanol extracts of both species showed a pro-oxidative tendency in minced mackerel. Water extract with lowest phenolic content showed no antioxidant effect in minced mackerel. In conclusion, the 50 % ethanolic extracts of P. fucoides can be a potential source of natural antioxidants, as these extracts have antioxidant activities similar to synthetic antioxidants such as BHT. However, the extent of protection offered by these extracts against protein oxidation was not clear and further studies are needed to understand the nature of the interaction between proteins and these extracts.     

Ultrasound-assisted extraction and antioxidant activity of phenolic and flavonoid compounds and ascorbic acid from rugosa rose (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Rosa rugosa</Emphasis> Thunb.) fruit

The present study aimed to extract total phenolic compounds (TPC), total flavonoid compounds (TFC), and ascorbic acid (AA) from the fruit of rugosa rose (Rosa rugosa Thunb.) by ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE), and to evaluate their antioxidant activities. UAE significantly increased the extract yield compared with that obtained using the conventional method. TPC, TFC, and AA were extracted, depending on the extraction conditions (temperature, time, and ethanol concentration), in the range of 50.73–96.69, 15.93–31.88, and 3.06–6.08 mg/g, respectively. TPC and TFC were effectively extracted at a relatively high temperature (50 °C) than AA was (30 °C). The solvent condition used to extract TPC, TFC, and AA was 50% ethanol. The UAE condition for the highest antioxidant activity was obtained 30 °C, 30 min, and 50% ethanol, which were the same condition for the highest AA extraction. Among the extracts, AA showed a strong correlation with antioxidant activity at p-value of 0.001.     

Influence of solvent and temperature on extraction of phenolic compounds from grape seed,antioxidant activity and colour of extract

This study was aimed to investigate the influence of solvent (water and ethanol in concentration: 50%, 70% and 96%) and extraction temperature (25–80) °C on polyphenols extraction of grape seed (Vitis vinifera L. cv. “Frankovka”) cultivated in Eastern Croatia. The best results were reached using 50% ethanol at 80 °C. The most abundant individual polyphenolic compound was catechin which makes the average of 45.11% of the total phenolic content followed by epicatechin (34.45%), procyanidin B₂ (12.90%), gallic acid (5.34%), gallocatechin (1.58%), epicatechin gallate (1.01%). The antioxidant activity of extracts was determined by DPPH‐method and it was highly dependent on extraction solvent and temperature. The total extractable proanthocyanidins content of extract had the highest positive correlation (r = 0.994) with antioxidant activity, which indicated that these compounds might be the most important antioxidant in examined grape seed extracts. Relationship between phenolic content and colour of extracts was observed.     

Antioxidant activities of onion (Allium cepa L.) peel extracts produced by ethanol,hot water,and subcritical water extraction

Onion (Allium cepa L.) peels were extracted by ethanol, hot water and subcritical water (SW) extraction and their antioxidant activities were evaluated. Extraction yields of SW extraction were 4-fold higher than ethanol extraction. However, the ethanol extraction increased the total phenolics contents (327.5 mg GAE/g extract) and flavonoids contents (183.95 mg QE/g extract) in the onion peel extract. The onion peel extracts by ethanol extraction showed greater DPPH radical scavenging activities and greater antioxidant activities determined by ferric thiocyanate assay than those by hot water extraction and SW extraction at 165°C. Antioxidant activity of onion peel extract by SW extraction at 110°C was similar to that of ethanol extraction. HPLC profiles revealed that SW extraction at lower temperature (110°C) increased the concentration of quercetin. These results demonstrated that the onion peel extracts produced by SW extraction technique have great potential as a source for useful antioxidant.     

Pressurized liquid extraction of flavonoids from spinach

ABSTRACT:  Pressurized liquid extraction (PLE) using water and a 70:30 mixture of ethanol and water over the temperature range of 50 to 190 °C was used to extract flavonoids from dried spinach. The total phenolic content, antioxidant capacity, color, and browning indices of the extracts were also evaluated. PLE using a 70:30 mixture of ethanol and water was more effective than water in extracting flavonoids from spinach. Flavonoids were effectively extracted over the temperature band of 50 to 130 °C with water and 50 to 150 °C with ethanolic solvent. Levels of total phenolics and ORAC values increased with increasing extraction temperature, indicating that flavonoids were minor contributors to antioxidant capacity at elevated extraction temperatures. Browning of ethanolic extracts correlated highly with ORAC values over the temperature range of 50 to 190 °C, and the ORAC values of the large molecular weight fraction (> 1000 Da) increased linearly over the temperature range, indicating that Maillard polymers were the major contributors to antioxidant capacity. The results illustrate that PLE temperatures of < 130 °C for water or < 150 °C for ethanolic solvent may be used to extract flavonoids, followed by a high temperature (> 170 °C) extraction to generate antioxidant-rich moieties.     

Selection of the Solvent and Extraction Conditions for Maximum Recovery of Antioxidant Phenolic Compounds from Coffee Silverskin

The extraction of antioxidant phenolic compounds from coffee silverskin (CS) was studied. Firstly, the effect of different solvents (methanol, ethanol, acetone, and distilled water) on the production of antioxidant extracts was evaluated. All the extracts showed antioxidant activity (FRAP and DPPH assays), but those obtained with methanol and ethanol had significantly higher (p?<?0.05) DPPH inhibition than the remaining ones. Due to the lower toxicity, ethanol was selected as extraction solvent, and further experiments were performed in order to define the solvent concentration, solvent/solid ratio, and time to maximize the extraction results. The best condition to produce an extract with high content of phenolic compounds (13 mg gallic acid equivalents/g CS) and antioxidant activity [DPPH?=?18.24 μmol Trolox equivalents/g CS and FRAP?=?0.83 mmol Fe(II)/g CS] was achieved when using 60 % ethanol in a ratio of 35 ml/g CS, during 30 min at 60–65 °C.     

Effects of blanching, drying and extraction processes on the antioxidant activity of yam (Dioscorea alata)

The effects of blanching, drying and extraction processes on the antioxidant activities of one kind of Taiwanese yam peel, Darsan (Dioscorea alata), were investigated. The antioxidant measurements included total phenolic content, reducing power and α ,α‐diphenyl‐β‐pricryl‐hydrazyl (DPPH) radical‐scavenging activity. The 50% ethanolic, hot water and water extracts from the peel all had much higher antioxidant activities than those extracts from the flesh. Among three extraction methods, 50% ethanolic extraction resulted in the highest antioxidant activities in the peel, while hot water extraction was more appropriate for the flesh. Blanching by immersing the peel in 85 °C water for 30 s caused significant reductions in the antioxidant activities of all the extracts from the peel. Generally speaking, freeze‐dried peel maintained higher antioxidant activities than hot air‐dried peel.     

Optimisation of the Supercritical Fluid Extraction of Antioxidants from Broccoli Leaves

This work presents the application of supercritical fluid extraction (SFE), an environmentally friendly methodology, to obtain broccoli leaves extracts with a high antioxidant activity. The following processing variables: pressure, temperature, percentage of ethanol and dynamic extraction time were optimised by means of a central composite design, combined with response surface methodology. The optimised conditions were applied to the extraction of broccoli leaves from different cultivars (Naxos, Nubia, Marathon, Parthenon and Viola). The optimal values of the extraction variables were 150 bars, 35 °C, 20 % ethanol and 10 min of dynamic extraction time. Percentage of ethanol and the combined effect of pressure and time were the factors that affected the extraction the most. The results obtained from different cultivars showed that the Naxos variety provided the extracts with the highest antioxidant activity and total phenolic content; moreover, DPPH (EC 50) values were higher than those previously reported for water extracts. The extracts were recovered in a small quantity of ethanol that could be easily eliminated, obtaining a residue free of contaminants.     

Co-extrusion Encapsulation of Probiotic Lactobacillus acidophilus Alone or Together with Apple Skin Polyphenols: An Aqueous and Value-Added Delivery System Using Alginate

This study presents one novel aqueous delivery system that was produced by co-extrusion technology using 1 % and 0.5 % alginate solutions as the shell wall and the core medium, respectively, to encapsulate probiotic bacteria (PB) Lactobacillus acidophilus alone or in combination with a value-added apple skin polyphenol extract (ASPE). The survival of PB was evaluated in a model milk drink at 4 °C for 50 days and under acidic conditions (in acidic water at pH 2 and 37 °C for 120 min). Two types of ASPE were prepared using an ethanolic or aqueous method and subjected to analyses of total extracted polyphenol content (TEPC), total antioxidant activity (TAA), vitamin C content, uronic acid (UA) content and polyphenol (PP) composition. The microencapsulation efficiency for all the obtained alginate beads was >96 %, with the beads in roughly spherical shape and with smooth and intact surfaces. The PB co-encapsulated with an ASPE had significantly (P?<?0.05) greater viability in milk than the unencapsulated PB in milk. After 50 days of storage at 4 °C in milk, the cell loss was only 0.13 and 0.16 log CFU (colony forming units)/mL milk for the PB co-encapsulated with the aqueous or ethanolic ASPE, respectively, compared with 1.1 log CFU/mL milk for the unencapsulated PB and 0.34 log CFU/mL milk for the PB encapsulated without ASPE. The co-encapsulation of PB with an aqueous or ethanolic ASPE also greatly protected PB against the current strong acidic condition with cell loss 2.61 and 2.78 log CFU/g fresh bead, respectively. A much lower cell loss was detected for the PB encapsulated alone (3.08 log CFU/g fresh bead) than for the unencapsulated PB (5.41 log CFU/g fresh bead). The differences between the aqueous and ethanolic ASPE in TAA and bioactive contents apparently caused the difference in PB viability in milk or the current acidic system, which potentially leads to a slightly varied nutritional value of the final encapsulated products. It is feasible and beneficial to use apple skin (a fruit waste) as a bioactive ingredient (containing polyphenols, pectin and vitamin C) to preserve the viability of PB via encapsulation technology. The selection of an aqueous or ethanolic ASPE ultimately depends on the required bioactive composition and PB viability of the final encapsulated product.     

Influence of pressurised liquid extraction and solid–liquid extraction methods on the phenolic content and antioxidant activities of Irish macroalgae

The efficiencies of pressurised liquid extraction (PLE) and a traditional solid–liquid extraction (SLE) at extracting antioxidant polyphenols from Irish macroalgae Ascophyllum nodosum, Pelvetia canaliculata, Fucus spiralis and Ulva intestinalis were compared. PLE was more effective for extracting polyphenols with acetone/water (80:20); however, when food‐friendly solvents of ethanol/water (80:20) and water were employed, SLE resulted in higher phenolic content in brown macroalgal extracts. For example, the Fucus spiralis SLE water and ethanol/water extracts displayed total phenolic contents (TPCs) of 130.58 ± 2.78 and 142.81 ± 1.77 μg phloroglucinol equivalents (PGE) mg^?1 sample, respectively, compared with TPCs of 90.79 ± 1.16 and 124 ± 6.54 μg PGE mg^?1 sample for the corresponding PLE extracts. All SLE aqueous ethanolic macroalgal extracts possessed higher DPPH radical scavenging abilities (RSA) and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) than their PLE equivalents . This study indicates that the application of high extraction temperatures (50–200 °C) and pressures (500–3000 psi) used in PLE does not enhance the antioxidant activities of macroalgal extracts relative to SLE extraction. The ability to produce antioxidant food‐friendly macroalgal extracts using SLE could represent significant cost reductions on an industrial scale further enhancing the potential of macroalgal polyphenols to be used in functional food preparations.     

Metabolite profiling and inhibitory properties of leaf extracts of Ficus benjamina towards α-glucosidase and α-amylase

The use of antioxidant-rich medicinal plants having the potential to reduce oxidative stress and postprandial hyperglycemic pressure is one of the most promising option for the management of diabetes. This study presents information on metabolite profiling and in vitro anti-diabetic effects of leaf extracts of Ficus benjamina. The DPPH (2, 2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radicals) assay was performed to determine the in vitro antioxidant potential of the plant extracts. The anti-diabetic effects were investigated by evaluating inhibitory properties of F. benjamina leaf extracts towards carbohydrate hydrolyzing enzymes, i.e., α-glucosidase and α-amylase, whereas ¹H NMR and UHPLC-QTOF-MS/MS analytical methods were employed for metabolite profiling of F. benjamina leaf extracts. Among 40, 60, 80, and 100% ethanolic leaf extracts of F. benjamina, 80% ethanolic extract exhibited the highest antioxidant activity based upon its DPPH radical scavenging ability (IC₅₀ value: 63.71 ± 2.66 µg/mL). The 80% ethanolic leaf extract of F. benjamina also proved to be the most efficient α-glucosidase and α-amylase inhibitor with IC₅₀ values of 9.65 ± 1.04 µg/mL and 13.08 ± 1.06 µg/mL, respectively; these values were even better than acarbose with α-glucosidase inhibition activity (IC₅₀ = 116.01 ± 3.83 µg/mL) and α-amylase inhibition activity (IC₅₀ = 152.66 ± 7.32 µg/mL). Moreover, a total of 31 metabolites were identified in F. benjamina leaf extract, which may have the potential to contribute to its antioxidant and inhibitory properties against carbohydrate hydrolyzing enzymes. The findings of this study depict F. benjamina leaf extracts as a promising α-glucosidase and α-amylase inhibitor, and therefore, can be utilized for the development of anti-diabetic functional diets/nutra-pharmaceuticals.     

黑小麦麸皮抗氧化活性成分提取及其抗氧化能力评价

黑小麦麸皮是黑小麦加工过程中的副产物,其富含多种生理活性物质,包括花青素、酚酸类物质、膳食纤维等。以黑小麦麸皮为原料,利用不同溶剂对其抗氧化活性成分进行提取并对其抗氧化能力评价研究。结果表明,75%乙醇提取物干物质得率最高,为10.72%;50%乙醇提取总酚含量最高,为2.9 mg/100 mL;50%乙醇提取物对1,1-二苯基-2-三硝基苯肼（DPPH）清除力最强,75%乙醇提取物对DPPH抗氧化物提取能力最强;75%丙酮提取物对2,2′-联氮-双-3-乙基苯并噻唑啉-6-磺酸（ABTS）清除力最强,75%甲醇提取物对ABTS抗氧化物提取能力最强。综合比较得出,50%乙醇更适于黑小麦麸皮抗氧化活性成分提取。     

Anthocyanin extracts from purple sweet potato by means of microwave baking and acidified electrolysed water and their antioxidation in vitro

Two anthocyanin extracts from purple sweet potato (PSP) were prepared by means of microwave baking (MB) and acidified electrolysed water (AEW) or 95% ethanol. The extraction yield in AEW (pH 3.0) was up to 35.0% nearly 2.5 times higher than in ethanol. When pH ≤ 3.0, the lower the pH values of the extracts in solution were, the darker the red extracts were. Total flavonoids, phenolic and monomeric anthocyanin contents in AEW extract were 132.13, 64.52 and 102.31 mg g^?1, respectively, whose values were the similar to or slightly lower than those in ethanol extract. On the contrary, its total sugar content (61.31 mg g^?1) was nearly five times higher than that of the ethanol extract. In vitro assay indicated that the scavenging capability of DPPH free radicals of AEW extracts (IC₅₀ = 12.0 μg mL^?1) was stronger than that of the ethanolic ones. The reducing power and inhibiting lipid peroxidation of the two extracts were similar. Thus, the new extraction of MB‐AEW described here was not only simple and low in cost, but also had much higher extraction yield. The anthocyanin extracts with a strong antioxidation and a stable red colour could be widely used as food colouring additives and anti‐ageing health foods.     

Spray-Drying of Antioxidant-Rich Blueberry Waste Extracts; Interplay Between Waste Pretreatments and Spray-Drying Process

This study aimed to establish an efficient route for converting blueberry waste material (BWM) into antioxidant-rich powders. Extracts were produced from BWM by an aqueous method using water acidified with citric acid, in the absence or presence of Pectinex Ultra SP-L and Cellubrix. All BWM extracts contained antioxidants including phenolic acids, anthocyanins, and flavonoids (total phenolic content (TPC) 3655–4369 mg gallic acid equivalent (GAE) and total anthocyanin content (TAC) 219–296 mg cyanidin-3-glucoside equivalents (CyGE) per 100 g dry extract). Extractions at 50 °C yielded higher TPC and TAC but lower vitamin C and pectin contents than extractions at 20 °C. Spray-drying BWM extracts produced at 50 °C (no enzymatic treatments) and an encapsulant (alginate or inulin) at an inlet temperature 150 °C and feed temperature 50 °C yielded powders with desired dark purplish blue color, water activity (0.25–0.33), flowability, reconstitution time (23–46 s in water or milk), TPC (25–30 mg GAE/g), TAC (17–20 mg CyGE/g), storage stability, and Bifidobacterium-boosting properties. Enzymatic pretreatments of BWM did not confer any advantages in preserving antioxidants in powder products, suggesting that some intrinsic BWM components (e.g., pectins) may play an important role in the encapsulating process. The use of alginate as the encapsulant/drying aid afforded higher powder yields, superior protection of antioxidants, better stability over a prolonged storage or elevated temperature storage, greater retention of TPC/TAC under simulated gastrointestinal conditions, and greater Bifidobacterium-boosting effects, compared to powders prepared using inulin. Thus, simple aqueous extraction methods and spray-drying technology hold enormous promise for producing antioxidant-rich powders from blueberry processing by-products or waste.     

Tea extraction methods in relation to control of epimerization of tea catechins

Effect of water temperature and ethanol concentration on epimerization and extractability of tea catechins was investigated. The results showed that epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) and epicatechin gallate (ECG) were partially epimerized into gallocatechin gallate (GCG) and catechin gallate (CG), respectively, when tea catechins extract was heated in water solution at 100 °C for 2 h or dry tea was extracted in water at 100 °C. The epimerization of the catechins was inhibited if the tea catechins extract was heated as solid powder and the dry tea was extracted in 50% (v/v) ethanol or in water at 80 °C or below. When the dry tea was extracted in water, the extractability of catechins increased with the increase of extraction temperature up to 100 °C, but there was no statistically significant difference in total catechins between 80 °C and 100 °C. When teas were extracted using ethanol solutions, the highest extractability of total catechins was obtained in 50% (v/v) ethanol for dry tea and in 75% (v/v) ethanol for fresh tea leaf. In order to reveal the real profiles of tea catechins in teas to be tested, dry tea should be extracted in 50% (v/v) ethanol for 10 min, while fresh tea leaf should be extracted in 75% (v/v) ethanol for 10 min. For commercial extraction, temperature should be controlled at 80 °C if water is used as the solvent. Copyright © 2007 Society of Chemical Industry     

Ultrasound and microwave assisted extraction of diosgenin from fenugreek seed and fenugreek-supplemented cookies

Fenugreek has been recognized as the most important medicinal plant. The presence of diosgenin in fenugreek seed is known to have promising health benefits. In the present work the extraction of diosgenin from the fenugreek seed was performed and its supplementation in cookies was done. The ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) and microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) methods have been applied for extraction of diosgenin. In case of UAE, the maximum diosgenin was obtained from fenugreek seed powder with 80 % ethanol solution for 50 min, whereas the maximum diosgenin in MAE was obtained at 80 % ethanol solution for 4 min. Overall, the extract yield of UAE was higher than MAE. The UAE method with an ethanolic concentration of 80 % was considered as optimum for the determination of diosgenin in cookies. The diosgenin content of the cookies supplemented with fenugreek seed powder increased with its increase and the diosgenin content ranged from 0.099 to 0.191 g diosgenin equivalent/100 g of cookies. Further research on the incorporation of fenugreek seed powder and diosgenin in ready-to-eat foods are of great value because of health benefits of diosgenin and market demand of ready-to-eat foods.     

Optimisation of pressurised liquid extraction for antioxidative polyphenolic compound from Momordica charantia using response surface methodology

Pressurised liquid extraction (PLE) of antioxidant compounds from bitter gourd fruits (Momordica charantia) in aqueous ethanolic solvent was investigated using response surface methodology at laboratory scale to understand key impact of extraction variables. Extraction efficiency was optimised by measuring the yield of extraction, total phenolic content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC), ferric reducing/antioxidant power assay (FRAP) and radical scavenging activity (RSA). The optimal extraction conditions were reached at 80% ethanol concentration, 10‐min extraction time and at 160 °C. Under these extraction conditions, values of TPC (5.40 ± 0.30 g GAE per 100 g), TFC (1.50 ± 0.10 g QE per 100 g), FRAP (778.55 ± 10 μmol eq Fe (II) g^?1), yield (178.50 ± 5.50 mg g^?1 dc) and RSA (75.50 ± 4.50%) were achieved. Furthermore, statistical analysis revealed that antioxidative attributes of bitter gourd extract were strongly and positively correlated with extraction temperature and ethanol concentration rather than processing time. This study illustrated that PLE has the potential to extract antioxidant compounds from tropical fruit vegetables in an accelerated manner. Furthermore, influential parameters affecting the process could be optimised for further industrial intake.     

Functional characterization of pressurized liquid extracts of Spirulina platensis

Three different parameters (temperature, solvent, and extraction time) were studied regarding to pressure liquid extraction (PLE) of antioxidant and antimicrobial compounds from Spirulina platensis. Two different antioxidant methods, β-carotene bleaching method and DPPH^• (2,2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl hydrate) free radical scavenging assay, were used to determine the optimal PLE conditions for antioxidants extraction. The selected conditions were as follows: extraction temperature equal to 115 °C, extraction time equal to 15 min and ethanol as extracting solvent. The main antioxidant compounds found in this extract were identified as zeaxanthin, a myxoxanthophyll-like compound and very polar phenolic compounds. Moreover, antimicrobial activity of different PLE fractions was tested against Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923, Escherichia coli ATCC 11775, Candida albicans ATCC 60193, and Aspergillus niger ATCC 16404. Data obtained showed the hexane and petroleum ether extracts were slightly more active than ethanolic extracts. As for water extracts, none of them were active against the microorganisms tested. Data indicated that both 115 and 170 °C were the best extraction temperatures conditions in order to optimize the extraction of antimicrobial compounds, whereas 9 min was the optimal extraction time. Besides, C. albicans was the most sensitive microorganism to all Spirulina PLE extracts.