Olive oil production generates a considerable amount of olive pomace, presenting a major environmental hazard and disposal issue for the industry. Nevertheless, for its high phenolic content, there have been extensive valorization efforts to upcycle this byproduct into a functional ingredient. In light of rising interest in utilizing olive pomace, this project aims to assess the effectiveness of California olive pomace extract in an avocado oil-based cosmetic cream. Resin-purified olive pomace extract (RPOPE) with 303 mg gallic acid equivalents (GAE) was used as a natural antioxidant. Four groups of cream samples were formulated: negative antioxidant control without any antioxidants, positive antioxidant control with 70 ppm of EDTA, and two experimental groups ,respectively, with 400ppm and 800ppm GAE of RPOPE. All samples were subjected to the treatment of 1ppm ferrous iron as prooxidants. The cream samples were incubated in the dark at 35 oC for 2 weeks. Their L* a* b* color values were analyzed in the first week. As for the L* value, negative and positive control exhibited no significant difference (p&gt;0.05), each with the average values of 91.23 and 90.95, whereas the value displayed an inverse relationship with the RPOPE concentration. In contrast, a* and b* values increased with RPOPE concentration, as indicated in the change of average a* value from 1.61 to 2.07 and that of b* value from 9.71 to 11.09. The antioxidant capacity of the extract is evaluated using DPPH free radical scavenging assay, suggesting that RPOPE has higher antioxidant activity than the control groups for both week 0 and week 2. Cream samples also demonstrated a significant (p&lt;0.05) increase in antioxidant capacity from less than 0.121, to 1.722 and 3.922 Trolox equivalents μmol /g cream for the two control samples, 400ppm and 800ppm GAE of RPOPE, respectively. There was no significant difference between the antioxidant values from week 0 to week 2 for all cream sample groups, although antioxidant values minimally decreased. Overall, the research shows a promising valorization strategy of olive pomace as a value-added ingredient of cosmetic products, thus improving the sustainability of the olive agricultural industry.

Case study using California olive pomace for potential valorization strategy of olive oil industry by-products by the application in avocado oil based cosmetics

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