A microwave-assisted extraction procedure was developed to obtain extracts rich in antioxidants from mango seed. Central composite design ‘25+star’ and response surface methodology were used in order to optimise the extraction factors: the water content in the acetone/water mixture used as extractant, seed weight-to-solvent volume ratio, number of steps, extraction time and pH of water. The results suggest that the extractant composition and the seed weight-to-solvent volume ratio were statistically the most significant factors. The optimum values of the factors that influence the capacity to inhibit lipid peroxidation (evaluated with the β-carotene bleaching test), scavenge 2,2-diphenyl- 1-picrylhydrazyl and 2,2′-azino-bis-(3-ethylbenzothiazoline)- 6-sulfonic acid-free radicals and obtain extracts with high phenolic compound content (tannins and proanthocyanidins) were three steps; the mixture acetone/water (50:50, v/v) as extractant, a seed weight-to-solvent volume ratio of 1:30 (w/v), an extraction time of 0 min in the microwave (the rest of the extraction process includes homogenisation and centrifugation time), and a pH of 8.0.

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