Simultaneous Optimization of Microwave-Assisted Extraction of Phenolic Compounds and Antioxidant Activity of Avocado (<i>Persea americana</i> Mill.) Seeds Using Response Surface Methodology

This study was designed to optimize three microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) parameters (ethanol concentration, microwave power, and extraction time) of total phenolics, total flavonoids, and antioxidant activity of avocado seeds using response surface methodology (RSM). The predicted quadratic models were highly significant (<i>p</i> < 0.001) for the responses studied. The extraction of total phenolic content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC), and antioxidant activity was significantly (<i>p</i> < 0.05) influenced by both microwave power and extraction time. The optimal conditions for simultaneous extraction of phenolic compounds and antioxidant activity were ethanol concentration of 58.3% (v/v), microwave power of 400 W, and extraction time of 4.8 min. Under these conditions, the experimental results agreed with the predicted values. MAE revealed clear advantages over the conventional solvent extraction (CSE) in terms of high extraction efficiency and antioxidant activity within the shortest extraction time. Furthermore, high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis of optimized extract revealed the presence of 10 phenolic compounds, with rutin, catechin, and syringic acid being the dominant compounds. Consequently, this optimized MAE method has demonstrated a potential application for efficient extraction of polyphenolic antioxidants from avocado seeds in the nutraceutical industries.