A Sustainable Workflow for the Recovery of Glucosylceramides from Apple Pomace
- 1Department of Bioorganic Chemistry, Leibniz Institute of Plant Biochemistry, Weinberg 3, D-06120 Halle (Saale), Germany
- 2Program Center for Plant Metabolomics and Computational Biochemistry, Leibniz Institute of Plant Biochemistry, Weinberg 3, D-06120 Halle (Saale), Germany
- 3Institute of Chemistry, Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg, Kurt-Mothes-Strasse 2, D-06120 Halle (Saale), Germany
Abstract
Apple pomace, a major agro-industrial byproduct of the juice industry, remains an underexploited renewable source of high-value sphingolipids. In this study, we developed an integrated, more sustainable workflow for the enrichment and recovery of phytoceramides from three apple pomace samples differing in geographical origin, cultivation practice, and processing history using chlorinated and n-hexane-free solvents. Nine hydroalcoholic solvent systems were evaluated by ultrasound-assisted extraction to balance extraction efficiency and environmental performance. UHPLC-VIP-HESI-MS/MS lipidomics of the phytoceramide-enriched fractions enabled a putative annotation of 64 CER and GlcCER molecular species, with phytosphingoid-based species predominating. Subsequent purification of these fractions by semi-preparative HPLC yielded four major GlcCERs, whose structures were elucidated by high-resolution MS and 1D/2D NMR spectroscopy. Total GlcCER content was 391 mg/Kg of dry pomace for Bodensee organic pomace (E1), 264 mg/Kg, for Saale-Unstrut organic pomace (E2), and 402 mg/Kg for Saale-Unstrut conventional pomace (E3). Overall, the workflow integrates green extraction, sustainable downstream processing, and advanced molecular characterization, demonstrating the potential of apple pomace for high-value sphingolipid valorization within a circular bioeconomy. Furthermore, this streamlined three-step process demonstrates feasibility at kilogram scale and provides a practical basis for further scale-up studies toward potential industrial application.
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BibTeX
@article{wabo2026sustainable,
title = {{A Sustainable Workflow for the Recovery of Glucosylceramides from Apple Pomace}},
author = {Ghislain Fotso Wabo and Samuel Ngure Kariithi and Norbert Arnold and Jörg Ziegler and Bernhard Westermann},
journal = {Molecules},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3390/molecules31213807},
url = {https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/31/21/3807},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - A Sustainable Workflow for the Recovery of Glucosylceramides from Apple Pomace
AU - Ghislain Fotso Wabo
AU - Samuel Ngure Kariithi
AU - Norbert Arnold
AU - Jörg Ziegler
AU - Bernhard Westermann
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/22
JO - Molecules
DO - 10.3390/molecules31213807
UR - https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/31/21/3807
AB - Apple pomace, a major agro-industrial byproduct of the juice industry, remains an underexploited renewable source of high-value sphingolipids. In this study, we developed an integrated, more sustainable workflow for the enrichment and recovery of phytoceramides from three apple pomace samples differing in geographical origin, cultivation practice, and processing history using chlorinated and n-hexane-free solvents. Nine hydroalcoholic solvent systems were evaluated by ultrasound-assisted extraction to balance extraction efficiency and environmental performance. UHPLC-VIP-HESI-MS/MS lipidomics of the phytoceramide-enriched fractions enabled a putative annotation of 64 CER and GlcCER molecular species, with phytosphingoid-based species predominating. Subsequent purification of these fractions by semi-preparative HPLC yielded four major GlcCERs, whose structures were elucidated by high-resolution MS and 1D/2D NMR spectroscopy. Total GlcCER content was 391 mg/Kg of dry pomace for Bodensee organic pomace (E1), 264 mg/Kg, for Saale-Unstrut organic pomace (E2), and 402 mg/Kg for Saale-Unstrut conventional pomace (E3). Overall, the workflow integrates green extraction, sustainable downstream processing, and advanced molecular characterization, demonstrating the potential of apple pomace for high-value sphingolipid valorization within a circular bioeconomy. Furthermore, this streamlined three-step process demonstrates feasibility at kilogram scale and provides a practical basis for further scale-up studies toward potential industrial application.
SN - 1420-3049
ER -