A Hybrid N-AHP-Based TOPSIS Decision Support Approach for Investigation of the Effect of Different Solvents on the Bioactive Properties, Anticancer, and Antimicrobial Activities of Aronia melanocarpa Extract

Abstract

The aim of this study was to extract the bioactive components in Aronia melanocarpa L. fruit, commonly referred to as chokeberry, using various solvents (80% methanol + 1% formic acid, 80% ethanol, and 70% acetone) individually and to evaluate them through the Neutrosophic-Analytical Hierarchy Process (N-AHP)-based TOPSIS method. The ethanolic (EEA), methanolic (MEA), and acetone (AEA) extracts derived from Aronia fruit were analyzed for total phenolic, flavonoid, and anthocyanin contents, as well as antioxidant, antimicrobial, and cytotoxic activities. The EEA exhibited the highest overall anthocyanin content. The MEA exhibited the highest DPPH levels. The AEA exhibited the highest levels of total phenolic compounds, total flavonoid content, and CUPRAC values. The EEA, MEA, and AEA exhibited IC50 values of 11.65, 11.71, and 10.51 mg/mL against Caco-2 adenocarcinoma cells, respectively. EEA and MEA exhibited superior antimicrobial efficacy compared to AEA. According to the weights determined by N-AHP, the extraction with methanol was found to be the best extraction method according to the TOPSIS analysis results performed on real data. In other words, the extract with the lowest IC50 value and the highest antimicrobial activity was the one extracted with methanol. This study concluded that the N-AHP-based TOPSIS method is a significant multiple decision-making approach for evaluating plant extracts based on established criteria and is applicable to food and phytochemical sciences.