Bruna da Fonseca Antunes, Igor Henrique de Lima Costa, Gabriela de Oliveira, J\u00e9ssica Silveira Vitoria, Eliezer Avila Gandra, Alessandro de Oliveira Rios, Alvaro Renato Guerra Dias, Elessandra da Rosa Zavareze<\/p>\n
Butia<\/i> palm (Butia odorata<\/i>) is a tropical fruit species valued for its flavor, nutritional composition, and bioactive compounds, particularly carotenoids known for their antioxidant capacity. This study aimed to develop, model, and optimize an ultrasound-assisted extraction method for carotenoids from Butia<\/i> pulp using chemometric tools and to characterize the optimized extract with respect to carotenoid and phenolic contents, as well as biological activity. Initially, variables were screened through a factorial design (23<\/sup>), evaluating the effects of acetone and ethanol concentrations, solvent volume, and sonication time. Based on the significant factors identified, process modeling and optimization were performed using a factorial design (22<\/sup>), focusing on solvent composition and solution volume. Carotenoids and phenolic compounds were quantified, and the antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of the optimized extract were evaluated. The extraction was carried out under optimal conditions, using 15.8\u00a0mL of solvent mixture (acetone:ethanol, 1:1 v\/v), 200\u00a0mg of lyophilized pulp, at 50\u00a0\u00b0C for 4.6\u00a0min of ultrasonication. Under the optimized conditions, the extract contained cryptoxanthin, \u03b2-carotene, chlorogenic acid, and protocatechuic acid. The extract demonstrated antioxidant activity in the DPPH, ABTS, and FRAP assays and antibacterial and antifungal activity. The results demonstrate that combining ultrasound-assisted extraction with chemometric optimization provides a robust and efficient analytical approach for the extraction of carotenoids from Butia<\/i> fruits, corroborating its applicability in food, pharmaceutical, and cosmetic industries.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n