Research and development of miniemulsions using bioactive extracts of passion fruit (Passiflora edulis) bagasse for use in cosmetics industry

Abstract

The project will be conducted by Rubian Xtract Serviços Ltda., a startup incubated at INOVA/UNICAMP. The research aims to develop of miniemulsions, from passion fruit bagasse extracts (Passiflora edulis), and to study the performance of these miniemulsions as cellular antiaging agents. The extracts will be obtained by clean techniques, as are the technologies that use supercritical carbon dioxide and pressurized liquids (ethanol and water). The extracts will be produced by sequential extraction to obtain nonpolar and polar compounds. So, a sequential laboratory unit will be built. The apolar extract of the passion fruit bagasse, which contains polyunsaturated fatty acids, tocotrienols, tocopherols and carotenoids, will be used as oil phase of the miniemulsions The polar extract of passion fruit bagasse, rich in phenolic compounds, will be used to compose the aqueous phase. Based on the results obtained, in PIPE Phase 1, it can be affirmed that the extracts obtained through clean extraction, supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) and pressurized liquid extraction (PLE) techniques, have high antioxidant capacity and high concentrations of bioactive compounds, such as piceatannol, tocols, fatty acids and carotenoids. In addition, the extraction methods employed prove to be technically effective. Likewise, the emulsification process has proved to be effective for obtaining kinetically stable miniemulsions. Finally, miniemulsions containing bioactive passion fruit bagasse compounds were shown to be capable of promoting cell proliferation of human keratinocytes, inhibiting the enzyme that degrades elastase and maintaining/promoting collagen synthesis. Based on these statements, the proposed miniemulsions present scientific feasibility for the application as a compound in cosmetic products. Despite the advances obtained in the PIPE Phase 1, new challenges have arisen, such as the difficulty of standardizing passion fruit bagasse, and the difficulty of standardizing and reproducing the emulsification method to obtain droplet diameter and polydispersity suitable for cosmetic application. An important point, found during the PIPE High-tech Entrepreneurial Training offered by FAPESP, specifically during interviews with players in the area of the business, was the importance of having an effective product. Thus, new studies should be developed to demonstrate the efficacy of miniemulsions, so the studies of melanogenesis and gene expression become essential for the future commercialization of the product. Thus, it is believed that such challenges could be overcome with the proposed project PIPE Phase 2, providing essential information for the marketing of future products. (AU)