## 4 Conclusions  
This study demonstrated that carob flour extracts exhibit notable antiglycation and MGO-trapping capacities, particularly when methanol is used as the extraction solvent. Although both extracts exhibited similar solubility (-49%), the methanolic extract exhibited significantly higher levels of total phenolics (1.4-fold) and flavonoids (1.6-fold), as well as greater antioxidant activity--1.2-fold in the ABTS assay and 1.8-fold in the FRAP assay.  
These compositional differences translated into stronger antiglycation effects, with the methanolic extract (25 mg/mL) inhibiting AGE formation by up to 81.0% in the BSA-Glu model and around 70% in the BSA-MGO model. IC\({}_{50}\) values further confirmed the superior potency of the methanolic extract in both assays (6.6 vs. 10.8 mg/mL and 9.4 vs. 16.6 mg/mL, respectively). Overall, these findings highlight the enhanced antiglycation potential of methanolic carob extract, supporting its application in the development of functional foods aimed at mitigating glycation-related pathologies. Furthermore, MGO-trapping experiments revealed a maximum scavenging efficiency of 97% after 168 h for the methanolic extract with 25 mg/mL, with a minimum IC\({}_{50}\) of 4.0 mg/mL. These properties suggest that carob flour phenolics, particularly gallic acid, contribute both directly--via dicarbonyl trapping--and indirectly--via antioxidant mechanisms--to the inhibition of AGE formation. This dual functionality supports their potential application in functional foods or nutraceuticalts targeting glycation-associated oxidative damage.  
While other vegetables or their polyphenols are well documented for their antiglycation potential, carob flour offers several distinctive advantages. It is a naturally sweet, caffeine-free, and gluten-free ingredient widely used in food products, making it highly suitable for functional food applications. Additionally, carob flour contains in specific phenolic compounds that exhibit strong antiglycation and MGO-trapping activities, as demonstrated in this study. Moreover, carob is an underutilized crop that is gaining interest in sustainable agriculture, particularly in arid and semi-arid regions, positioning it as an attractive and environmentally friendly source of bioactive compounds. Consequently, carob flour may offer a milder sensory profile and easier incorporation into various food matrices without negatively affecting taste or color. These in vitro findings support the use of carob flour as a functional ingredient for glycation-targeted nutritional strategies. Future studies should not only focus on optimizing extraction parameters but also evaluate the economic feasibility of large-scale production and ensure the validation of its functionality under industrial processing conditions.  
Conceptualization, M.M. and F.J.M.; methodology, F.H.; software, M.M.; validation, M.M.; formal analysis, F.H.; investigation, M.M. and F.J.M.; resources, M.M. and F.J.M.; writing--original draft, M.M.; writing--review and editing, F.J.M.; supervision, M.M.; project administration, F.J.M.; funding acquisition, M.M. and F.J.M. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.  
This publication is part of the project PID2022-137697 NB-I00, funded by MCIN/AEI/ 10.13039/501100011033 and by \"ERDF A way of making Europe\".  
Not applicable.  
The original contributions presented in the study are included in the article; further inquiries can be directed to the corresponding author.  
The authors declare no conflicts of interest. The funders had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript; or in the decision to publish the results.  
The following abbreviations are used in this manuscript:  
ABTS 2,2\({}^{\prime}\)-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothazoline-6-sulfonic acid AGE  Advanced glycation end-products AG  Aminoguanidine BSA  Bovine serum albumin CA  Caffeic acid CGA  Chlorogenic acid EDTA  Ethylenediaminenetetraacetic acid FA  Ferulic acid