Synergistic enzymatic − ethanol extraction of arbutin from boiled pear pomace and its whitening and anti-wrinkle activities

A synergistic enzymatic–ethanolic extraction process was developed to recover arbutin, a whitening and anti-wrinkle bioactive compound, from boiled pear pomace, in which boiling loosened the fiber network. To overcome the low yield and high energy consumption of conventional high-temperature and supercritical extraction methods, this study combined Alcalase 2.4L FG hydrolysis with 80% ethanol extraction. Optimal enzymatic conditions (0.024 U enzyme, 10% substrate, 24 h), under which arbutin yield reached 9.40 mg/g and further increased to 10.87 mg/g following ethanolic extraction. Compared with the α-MSH–stimulated group, the synergistic extract significantly inhibited tyrosinase activity by 68% and melanin production by 63% in B16F10 melanoma cells and reduced UVB-induced MMP-1 by 82% while enhancing procollagen I α1 (4.43-fold) and hyaluronic acid (3.65-fold) in dermal fibroblasts. Correlation analysis confirmed that arbutin content aligned with whitening and anti-aging markers. This synergistic extraction process demonstrates potential for valorizing pear by-products into multifunctional cosmetic ingredients.