Effect of different pre-treatments on antioxidant and some chemical compounds of extract of hawthorn fruit

Hawk (Crataegus spp.) is a rich source of natural antioxidants, especially flavonoids and anthocyanin, and these bioactive compounds have various beneficial effects on health and well-being. In this study, hawthorn fruits extract were prepared by ultrasound (for 30 minutes), microwave (150 s) and ultrasound- microwave (30 min ultrasound + 150 s microwave).  After applying these pre-treatments, the extract of fruits was extracted with Ethanol. A sample without any pre-treatment was selected as a control. The total phenolic content, scavenging activity of DPPH, reducing power assay, acidity and determination of important compounds (by gas chromatography / mass spectrometry) of the samples were investigated. Statistical analysis and optimization process were performed through completely randomized design using SAS software. The results showed that the use of different pre-treatments resulted in increasing the total phenolic content, scavenging activity of DPPH and reducing power in extracts. The total phenol content of sample obtained from the pretreatment of ultrasound-microwave was higher (9.89%) than control sample. The analysis of the acidity data showed that the pre-treatment type did not have significant effect on the acidity of the samples (p <0.01). The using microwave- ultrasound pre-treatment resulted in increase in the extract compounds and the bis-2-ethylhexyl-phethalate was the most detectable combination in the extracts. It was concluded, that combination of microwave and ultrasound was the best pretreatment for extraction of hawthorn fruit.