Vegetable waste: functional ingredients and “green” excipients in dermocosmetics

Vegetable waste: functional ingredients and “green” excipients in dermocosmetic products Dr. Valentina Sallustio PhD student in Safety, Health and Green Systems Department of Pharmacy and Biotechnology, Alma Mater Studiorum -University of Bologna, Via San Donato 19/2, 40127 Bologna, Italy; valentina.sallustio2@unibo.it Abstract Demand for natural and sustainable cosmetics is increasing in Europe owing to growing public awareness of importance of preserving natural sources and protecting the environment.[1] Rosa canina L. (RC) is a wild shrubs spontaneously growing in Europe and Asia [2]. Their fruits are well known for preparation of jams and liqueurs. Their vegetable wastes from the food processing are still rich in bioactive compounds such as vitamins and polyphenols that could be useful in the pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries. The aim of my PhD research project is to recover the main bioactive compounds extracted by the fruit of RC to encapsulate them in vesicular systems able to protect their own antioxidant activity. Firstly, the berries, previously harvested and stored by different preservation methods, were extracted using the green chemistry approach. The natural extracts were analyzed to determine the main antioxidant compounds by LC-DAD-MS/MS analysis, the Total Phenolic Content by the Folin Ciocalteu method [3], the Total Flavonoids Content by the aluminum chloride method, and the antioxidant activity by DPPH assay [4] . Among all extracts obtained, the extract rich in bioactive substances (anthocyanins, catechins, gallic acid, quercetin and ascorbic acid) and with the highest antioxidant activity was encapsulated in different vesicular systems, namely liposomes, hyalurosomes, ethosomes, and phytosomes. All the types of vesicular systems were characterized in terms of size, polydispersity index, entrapment efficiency, and zeta potential. The most promising nanocarriers (ethosomes) were assessed for their stability, the in vitro release, the skin permeation, and the cell viability. Finally, the ethosomal suspension was incorporated into a cosmetic gel based on hyaluronic acid. The physical-chemical characteristics and rheological properties of the gels were analyzed to determine the more suitable formulation for skin application. In conclusion, encapsulation of RC into ethosomes could be considered a promising strategy for skin delivery of bioactive compounds, such as polyphenols. References 1. Dini, I.; Laneri, S. The New Challenge of Green Cosmetics: Natural Food Ingredients for Cosmetic Formulations. Molecules 2021, 26, 3921, doi:10.3390/molecules26133921. 2. Ercisli, S. Chemical Composition of Fruits in Some Rose (Rosa Spp.) Species. Food Chem. 2007, 104, 1379–1384, doi:10.1016/j.foodchem.2007.01.053. 3. Singleton, V.L.; Orthofer, R.; Lamuela-Raventós, R.M. [14] Analysis of Total Phenols and Other Oxidation Substrates and Antioxidants by Means of Folin-Ciocalteu Reagent. In Oxidants and Antioxidants Part A; Methods in Enzymology; Academic Press, 1999; Vol. 299, pp. 152–178. 4. Brand-Williams, W.; Cuvelier, M.E.; Berset, C. Use of a Free Radical Method to Evaluate Antioxidant Activity. LWT - Food Sci. Technol. 1995, 28, 25–30, doi:10.1016/S0023-6438(95)80008-5