Superior Valorisation of Juglans regia L. Leaves of Different Maturity through the Isolation of Bioactive Compounds

Abstract

Extracts rich in bioactive compounds from natural sources have received great interest due to their great impact on human health. The aim of this research is focused on the obtaining and characterization of several extracts from Juglans regia L. leaves in four different maturity phases: young green leaves (YGL), green leaves (GL), mature green leaves (MGL), and yellow leaves (YL), using different solvents: ethanol (e), water (w), or water:ethanol (1:1 (v/v)—m) by employing several methods: magnetic stirring (MS), ultrasound-assisted (UA), as well as maceration (M). The obtained extracts were quantitatively evaluated through spectrophotometric methods: Total Polyphenol Content (TPC-Folin–Ciocalteu assay) and Total Antioxidant Capacity (TEAC assay). Phytochemical screening by means of Fourier-Transform Ion–Cyclotron-Resonance High-Resolution Mass Spectrometry (FT-ICR-MS) indicated the presence of 40 compounds belonging to different phytochemical classes: phenolic acids, flavonoids, flavones, flavanones, flavonones, flavanols, vitamins, tereponoid, steroid, anthocyanidin, and other compounds. Based on TPC and TEAC assays, the water-ethanol mixture was found to be the proper extraction solvent, with the best results being obtained for YL plant material: 146.29 mg GAE/g DM (TPC) and 11.67 mM TE/g DM (TEAC). This type of extract may be used in various domains, such as the cosmetics industry, the biomedical field, and/or the design of functional foods, relying on their phytochemical composition.