In recent years, as part of sustainable development policies, the revaluation of end-of-life products has become more and more widespread. In terms of sustainability, in a scenario of circular economy food sustainability aims, inter alia, at making an effective re-use of natural resources as a starting point for the obtainment of high added-value products. With the aim of promoting the valorization of the wine sector wastes, the present study took into account the leaves of Vitis vinifera L. cv. Aglianico from the Campania Region (Italy). The use of deep eutectic solvents as a greener alternative to the most common organic solvents, joint to ultrasound-assisted maceration, and LC-MS tools, allowed us to define for the first time a six-month quantitative variation of flavonol derivatives, and in particular of quercetin 3-O-glucuronide, based on the collection time and the leaf height on the grapevine. Results underlined that the influence of abiotic factors, such as exposure to sunlight, which is pivotal in the biosynthesis of such compounds, should be strictly considered for their full recovery.
Keywords: Vitis vinifera L. cv. Aglianico; deep eutectic solvents (DES); food waste valorization; grape leaves; green extraction; quercetin glucuronide.