Extraction of phenolic acids by alkaline hydrolysis from the solid residue obtained after prehydrolysis of trimming vine shoots.

Contents of hydroxycinnamic and hydroxybenzoic acids were determined in trimming vine shoots after sequential treatments of prehydrolysis and alkaline hydrolysis. These treatments allow the complete use of the main fractions involved: cellulose, hemicelluloses and lignin. The alkaline hydrolysis was studied using a factorial design where reaction time (in the range 30-120 min), temperature (50-130 degrees C), and NaOH concentration (4-12 wt % of solution) were the independent variables. The interrelationship between dependent and operational variables was well fitted (R(2) > 0.90) to models including linear, interaction and quadratic terms. Ferulic acid was the most abundant hydroxycinnamate with concentrations ranging from 25.7 to 141.0 mg/L followed by p-coumaric acid (15.5-31.5 mg/L). Gallic acid was the hydroxybenzoic acid released in higher concentration (in the range 2.5-164.6 mg/L). Because of their properties and low toxicity, these compounds are widely used in the food, pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries. Additionally, ferulic acid is used as feedstock for the biotechnological production of flavorings and aroma compounds, including vanillin and vinylguaiacol, or as a constituent in the preparation of foods and skin protection agents, or as a cross-linking agent for the elaboration of food gels. Consequently, ferulic acid solutions can be obtained from renewable plant cell wall materials as a prospective pathway.