Abstract

The blueberry juice industry generates significant residues (BR), rich in total polyphenols (TP) and anthocyanins, offering potential for functional ingredient development. This study optimized the extraction of TP, antioxidant capacity, and total anthocyanins (TA) from BR (cv. Legacy) using supercritical CO2 (SC-CO2) and accelerated solvent extraction (ASE). A Box-Behnken design and response surface methodology were applied to optimize the SC-CO2 (pressure, temperature, cosolvent) and ASE (solvent concentration, temperature, cycles) parameters. ASE (41.3 °C, 79.8% ethanol/water, 1 cycle) resulted in higher TA (8.24 and 18.46 mg cyanidin-3-glucoside equivalents (C3GE)/g BR) compared to SC-CO2 (0.01 and 6.69 mg C3GE/g BR). Key anthocyanins included cyanidin-3-O-glucoside, petunidin-3-O-glucoside, and malvidin-3-O-glucoside. ASE was more effective for anthocyanin extraction, positioning BR as a sustainable source of bioactive compounds for functional ingredient innovation. © 2025 American Chemical Society.