Ultrasonic and microwave activation of raspberry extract: antioxidant and anti-carcinogenic properties

Safe and healthy nutrition has a beneficial effect on human well-being. Various foods, such as berries, are known to inhibit cancer-promoting pre-proliferative signals. Among European fruit and berry crops, raspberries demonstrate one with the widest ranges of biologically active substances. Extraction remains a reliable method of obtaining biologically active substances from plant materials. The research objective was to obtain a semi-finished raspberry product by using microwave and ultrasonic processing and to study its antioxidant, anti-carcinogenic, sensory, physico-chemical, and microbiological properties. The raspberry extracts were obtained by maceration, ultrasound treatment, and microwave processing. After that, the samples underwent a comparative analysis of their antioxidant properties. The ultrasonic method gave the best results. A set of experiments made it possible to define the optimal technological modes for the extraction process: ethanol = 50%, ultrasonic radiation = 35 kHz, temperature = 40 ± 5°C, time = 120 min, water ratio = 1:10. A set of experiments on cell cultures demonstrated that the raspberry extract was able to reduce the expression of the anti-inflammatory COX-2, iNOS, and IL-8 genes. Hense, we recommend further studies of the effect of the raspberry extract on the induced expression of COX-2, iNOS, and IL-8. In addition, its anticarcinogenic properties have to be studied in vivo.