## 3 Results and Discussion
### Results of Microwave-Assisted Extraction  
The TPC values obtained by applying the three-factor, three-levels BBD are reported in Table 3. The total phenolic contents of chicory extracted by microwaves were in the range of 3.66-8.23 mg gallic acid/g dm, and the extraction conditions that allowed the maximization of this index were the following: solid-water ratio = 7.5 g/100 mL; t = 2 min; power = 350 W. This result is better than those (6.35 \(\pm\) 0.10 mg/g dm) obtained by [PERSON] and [PERSON] [36] applying the following conditions: solid-methanol ratio = 5 g/100 mL; t = 10 s; power = 320 W. The total phenolic contents of fennel extracts were in the range of 3.89-6.73 mg gallic acid/g dm, and the highest values were obtained in the following conditions: solid-water ratio = 7.5 g/100 mL; t = 3 min; power = 160 W. Once again, the experimental results were better than those extracted from the literature. As an example, [PERSON] et al. [37] recovered 4.11 \(\pm\) 0.36 mg/g dm by applying a MAE using a household microwave oven under the following conditions: solid-alcohol ratio = 4 g/100 mL; t = 5 min; power = 750 W.  
\begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c} \hline \multicolumn{2}{c}{**Extraction Conditions**} & \multicolumn{6}{c}{**Total Phenicic Content (ng Galile Acidic gap)**} & \multicolumn{6}{c}{**Additional Activity (named Truolugu-dot)**} \\ \cline{2-13} \multicolumn{2}{c}{**Solid/Water**} & \multicolumn{2}{c}{**Chicago by Pro-Product Extracts**} & \multicolumn{2}{c}{**Focus I/P-Product Extracts**} & \multicolumn{2}{c}{**Closed By-Product Extracts**} & \multicolumn{2}{c}{**Closed By-Product Extracts**} & \multicolumn{2}{c}{**Focus I/P-Product Extracts**} \\ \hline
**Solid/Water** & **t/info nn al. ** & **t/info nn al. ** & **Front (00)** &  
Compared to the conventional method, the MAE allowed the increase of the TPC of chicory extracts by about 34%, simultaneously reducing the extraction time from 180 to 2 min and reaching, at the end of treatment, a temperature of 50 \({}^{\circ}\)C (vs. 60 \({}^{\circ}\)C of the conventional treatment). In the case of fennel, the conventional solvent extraction allowed the recovery of slightly more phenolic compounds than the MAE (+10.5%), simultaneously reducing the extraction time from 180 to 3 min and reaching, at the end of treatment, a temperature of 40 \({}^{\circ}\)C (vs. the 60 \({}^{\circ}\)C of the conventional treatment). This high efficiency can be attributed to the ability of microwaves to heat the inner part of the plant matrix to increase the pressure inside the cells, thus resulting in cell wall disruption and in the release of bioactive compounds [38]. A study by [PERSON] et al. [39] has already highlighted the highest extraction efficiency of MAE with respect to the Soxhlet extraction and cold maceration regarding the phenolic fraction of fennel seeds, suggesting that microwaves do not degrade these compounds due to lesser treatment time. The antioxidant activity values of MAE extracts are also reported in Table 3. The AA of chicory extracts were in the range of 0.0224-0.0375 mmol Trolox/g dm and the extraction conditions that allowed the maximization of this index were the following: solid-water ratio = 2.5 g/100 mL; t = 2 min; power = 90 W. The AA of fennel extracts were in the range of 0.0349-0.0671 mmol Trolox/g dm, and the highest values were obtained in the same conditions as those of the chicory extracts. Compared to the conventional method, ultrasounds allowed the increase of the AA of chicory extracts by about 33%, simultaneously reducing the time of treatment (from 30 to 2 min). Microwaves also determined a strong increase (+138%) of the AA of fennel extracts, simultaneously reducing the time of treatment (from 30 to 2 min). Similar to what was observed for the UAE, the total phenolic contents of the extracts produced by microwaves were poorly correlated with the antioxidant activity values, as highlighted by the correlation coefficients (R = 0.4906 and 0.5601 for chicory and fennel, respectively).