Soybean Oil As a Green Solvent for the Recovery of Carotenoids from Banana Peel: Evaluation of the Storage and Processing on Final Product

This study aimed to recover carotenoids from banana peel by employing a solid-liquid extraction using soybean oil as a green solvent. The oil with the highest total carotenoid content was evaluated for storage stability (30 °C/90 days) and thermal processing (100 and 200 °C/1–2 h). The results for changing temperature (33–67 °C), solid-liquid ratio (1:6–1:74 w/w), and agitation (132–468 rpm) were combined to evaluate the recovery of carotenoids from banana peel in extractions performed for 1 h. The highest total carotenoid concentration obtained from banana peel with 13% residual moisture was 756 µg of β-carotene/mL of oil at 50 °C with a solid-liquid ratio of 1:6 and 300 rpm agitation, resulting in a 55% recovery, which is superior to the extraction using acetone as the solvent (50%). Nutritionally, the carotenoid-rich oil can substantially increase vitamin A intake since a 13-mL serving can correspond to 63–117% of the daily intake of vitamin A for different groups. Regarding storage, no differences were observed in the fatty acid profile of the carotenoid-rich oil and the control (pure soybean oil) after 90 days (p > 0.05). The fatty acid profile also remained the same after thermal processing, regardless of temperature and exposure time, except for linolenic acid. 84% retention of total carotenoids was observed after storage. For thermal processing at 100 and 200 °C, regardless of the processing time, a 91 and 31% retention were observed, respectively. Therefore, the use of banana peel as a raw material to obtain carotenoids using soybean oil as a green solvent can add value to production chains, and it is aligned with Sustainable Development Goals 2 and 12 of the UN 2030 Agenda, which aims to end hunger, achieve food security, promote sustainable agriculture and ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns, respectively.