Sustainable and novel approaches for bioactive compound extraction: Development of hydrodynamic cavitation and coupled machine learning-spline techniques for Ascophyllum nodosum and Fucus vesiculosus

Ascophyllum nodosum and Fucus vesiculosus brown seaweeds are rich in polyphenols, phlorotannins, proteins, and antioxidants, valuable in the food, pharmaceutical, and cosmetic industries. This study compares hydrodynamic cavitation (HC) and conventional maceration for extracting bioactive compounds from A.nodosum and F.vesiculosus using water and water-ethanol (80:20) solvents. HC significantly enhanced extraction efficiency, yielding higher levels of total phenols, phlorotannins, proteins, and antioxidants. Pure water proved to be a greener, more effective, and economical solvent. HC extraction of F.vesiculosus yielded up to 2.57 ± 0.04 mg/ml total phenolic content and 51.52 ± 0.44 mg/ml protein with water-ethanol. Pure water with HC also yielded higher phlorotannin (1.5 μg/ml) and antioxidant activity (up to 82 % DPPH scavenging) than maceration. A machine learning model accurately predicted phenolic content (R² = 0.84), reducing experimental effort by 40 %. HC is a more efficient, sustainable alternative to maceration for maximizing bioactive compound recovery and reducing experimentation costs.