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Green Extraction of Natural Product: Innovative Techniques, Alternative Solvents and Original Procedures

A special issue of Molecules (ISSN 1420-3049). This special issue belongs to the section "Natural Products Chemistry".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 October 2017) | Viewed by 102306

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Groupe de Recherche en Eco-Extraction de Produits Naturel, Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement, Université d´Avignon et des Pays du Vaucluse, 84029 Avignon, France
Interests: green extraction; alternative solvents; innovative technologies; original procedures; microwave; ultrasound; intensification
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

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Guest Editor
Department of Drug Science and Technology, University of Turin, via P. Giuria 9, 10125 Turin, Italy
Interests: enabling technologies ind food extraction and processing; microwaves; ultrasound; hydrodinamic cavitation; SC-CO2; green solvents; bioactive natural products
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

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Guest Editor
Natural Products Laboratory, Institute of Biology, Leiden University, Sylviusweg 72, 2333 BE Leiden, The Netherlands
Interests: metabolomics; phytochemistry; supercritical fluid extraction; natural deep eutectic solvents
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The industrial production of perfumes, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, food ingredients and products, nutraceuticals, biofuel, or fine chemicals, involve extraction processes. In the field of extraction of natural products, conventional methods, mostly using organic solvents have major drawbacks, such as insufficient recovery of extracts, long extraction time, high amounts of by-products and wastes, and high energy consumption. In recent years, the trend of extraction has moved to "sustainability", making a transition to "Green Extraction", to develop more "sustainable" processes using alternative solvents, less energy, and reducing waste, while ensuring the quality of final products.

The present Special Issue, “Green Extraction of Natural Product”, aims to collect and to publish recent advances in this interdisciplinary area. Reviews and research articles dealing with innovative techniques, alternative solvents, original procedures, comprehension of intensification mechanisms, by products valorization, and the green impacts and sustainable footprints. In term of dissemination this Special Issue is aiming to provide some guidelines for good practice and reporting, existing and in conception of reactors or solvents suitable for green extraction. Experts are welcome to give their opinion about how green extraction contributed/contributes/will contribute to natural products area, possible trends, and perspectives.

Prof. Dr. Farid Chemat
Prof. Dr. Giancarlo Cravotto
Prof. Dr. Young Hae Choi
Guest Editors

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Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • green extraction
  • separation and purification
  • intensification
  • enabling technologies
  • deep eutectic solvents
  • natural products
  • supercritical fluids

Published Papers (17 papers)

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Research

924 KiB  
Article
The Antioxidant and Safety Properties of Spent Coffee Ground Extracts Impacted by the Combined Hot Pressurized Liquid Extraction–Resin Purification Process
by María Salomé Mariotti-Celis, Maximiliano Martínez-Cifuentes, Nils Huamán-Castilla, Mario Vargas-González, Franco Pedreschi and José Ricardo Pérez-Correa
Molecules 2018, 23(1), 21; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules23010021 - 22 Dec 2017
Cited by 24 | Viewed by 5629
Abstract
Hot pressurized liquid extraction has been used to obtain polyphenols; however, its operating conditions can generate hydroxymethylfurfural, a potential human carcinogen. The addition of ethanol can reduce process temperatures and retain extraction efficiencies, but the ethanol may reduce the recovery of polyphenols in [...] Read more.
Hot pressurized liquid extraction has been used to obtain polyphenols; however, its operating conditions can generate hydroxymethylfurfural, a potential human carcinogen. The addition of ethanol can reduce process temperatures and retain extraction efficiencies, but the ethanol may reduce the recovery of polyphenols in the subsequent purification stage, affecting the antioxidant properties of the extracts. This study evaluates a combined hot pressurized liquid extraction—resin purification process to obtain polyphenol extracts from spent ground coffee reduced in hydroxymethylfurfural. A multifactorial design was developed to determine the combined effect of the extraction (ethanol content: 0–16% and temperature: 60–90 °C) and purification (ethanol: 60–80%) conditions on some chemical properties of the extracts. The highest recovery of polyphenols (~8 mg GAE/g dry coffee solids) and reduction of hydroxymethylfurfural (95%) were obtained at 90 °C and 16% of ethanol during extraction and 80% of ethanol during purification. These operating conditions retained the antioxidant capacity of the crude extract between 60% and 88% depending on the determination method and recovered 90, 98, and 100% of 4-feruloylquinic acid, epicatechin, and 5-feruloylquinic acid, respectively after purification. The combined process allows differential polyphenols’ recovery and enhances the safety of the extracts. Our computational chemistry results ruled out that the overall selectivity of the integrated process was correlated with the size of the polyphenols. Full article
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2970 KiB  
Article
Impact of Ohmic-Assisted Decoction on Bioactive Components Extracted from Yacon (Smallanthus sonchifolius Poepp.) Leaves: Comparison with Conventional Decoction
by Forough Khajehei, Mehrdad Niakousari, Maral Seidi Damyeh, Nikolaus Merkt, Wilhelm Claupein and Simone Graeff-Hoenninger
Molecules 2017, 22(12), 2043; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules22122043 - 23 Nov 2017
Cited by 17 | Viewed by 5082
Abstract
Yacon (Smallanthus sonchifolius Poepp.) leaves are a potentially rich source of bioactive compounds, such as phenolic acids and flavonoids. In this study, the effect of the extraction method (ohmic-assisted decoction (OH-DE) and decoction (DE)), yacon cultivar (red and white), and leaf age [...] Read more.
Yacon (Smallanthus sonchifolius Poepp.) leaves are a potentially rich source of bioactive compounds, such as phenolic acids and flavonoids. In this study, the effect of the extraction method (ohmic-assisted decoction (OH-DE) and decoction (DE)), yacon cultivar (red and white), and leaf age (young and old) on the quality/quantity of extracted phytochemicals were investigated. Extraction yield, energy consumption, total phenolic content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC), ABTS and DPPH radical scavenging activity, and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) were determined. Additionally, HPLC-DAD was used to identify the major individual phenolic and flavonoid compounds of yacon leaves. The results showed that a three-way interaction of process-variables (extraction method×yacon cultivar×age of leaves) influenced the extraction yield, TPC, TFC, ABTS, and DPPH radical scavenging activity, and FRAP, significantly (p < 0.05). However, energy consumption of the extraction process was only affected by method of extraction (p < 0.05) and was halved when OH-DE was applied as compared to DE alone. Additionally, the phytochemical quality of extracts was either improved or comparable when OH-DE was used for extraction. Also, it was shown that yacon leaves contained considerable amounts of caffeic acid, chlorogenic acid, ferrulic acid, myricetin, p-coumaric acid, and rutin, while leaves of the red cultivar had higher contents of each compound compared to leaves of the white cultivar. Full article
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539 KiB  
Article
Identification of Major Flavone C-Glycosides and Their Optimized Extraction from Cymbidium kanran Using Deep Eutectic Solvents
by Kyung Min Jeong, Misuk Yang, Yan Jin, Eun Mi Kim, Jaeyoung Ko and Jeongmi Lee
Molecules 2017, 22(11), 2006; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules22112006 - 18 Nov 2017
Cited by 15 | Viewed by 4920
Abstract
Cymbidium kanran, an orchid exclusively distributed in Northeast Asia, has been highly valued as a decorative plant and traditional herbal medicine. Here, C. kanran extracts were prepared in 70% aqueous methanol using ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) and subjected to liquid chromatography-photodiode array detection [...] Read more.
Cymbidium kanran, an orchid exclusively distributed in Northeast Asia, has been highly valued as a decorative plant and traditional herbal medicine. Here, C. kanran extracts were prepared in 70% aqueous methanol using ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) and subjected to liquid chromatography-photodiode array detection and ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole-time-of-flight-mass spectrometry analysis, which were used for quantitative and qualitative analysis, respectively. It was found that the extracts were rich in flavone C-glycosides including vicenin-2, vicenin-3, schaftoside, vitexin, and isovitexin. Ten deep eutectic solvents (DESs) were synthesized by combining choline chloride (hydrogen bond acceptor) with various polyols and diols (hydrogen bond donors) and were tested as a medium for the efficient production of extracts enriched with potentially bioactive flavone C-glycosides from C. kanran. A DES named ChCl:DPG, composed of choline chloride and dipropylene glycol at a 1:4 molar ratio, exhibited the best extraction yields. Then, the effects of extraction conditions on the extraction efficiency were investigated by response surface methodology. Lower water content in the extraction solvent and longer extraction time during UAE were desirable for higher extraction yields. Under the statistically optimized conditions, in which 100 mg of C. kanran powder were extracted in 0.53 mL of a mixture of ChCl:DPG and water (74:26, w/w) for 86 min, a total of 3.441 mg g−1 flavone C-glycosides including 1.933 mg g−1 vicenin-2 was obtained. This total yield was 196%, 131%, and 71% more than those obtained using 100% methanol, water, and 70% methanol, respectively. Full article
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4346 KiB  
Article
Optimization of the Extraction Conditions for Buddleja officinalis Maxim. Using Response Surface Methodology and Exploration of the Optimum Harvest Time
by Guoyong Xie, Ran Li, Yu Han, Yan Zhu, Gang Wu and Minjian Qin
Molecules 2017, 22(11), 1877; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules22111877 - 01 Nov 2017
Cited by 14 | Viewed by 4389
Abstract
The Box-Behnken design was used to evaluate the effects of the methanol concentration (60–100%), liquid to solid ratio (20:1 to 40:1 mL/g) and extraction time (20–40 min) on the yield of 11 constituents from Buddleja officinalis Maxim using ultrasound-assisted extraction. The Derringer’s desirability [...] Read more.
The Box-Behnken design was used to evaluate the effects of the methanol concentration (60–100%), liquid to solid ratio (20:1 to 40:1 mL/g) and extraction time (20–40 min) on the yield of 11 constituents from Buddleja officinalis Maxim using ultrasound-assisted extraction. The Derringer’s desirability function approach showed that the modified optimum extraction conditions were: 76% methanol concentration, 33 min extraction time and a 34:1 mL/g solvent to solid ratio. Under these conditions, the experimentally measured yields of the compounds were in good agreement with the predicted values. An accurate and sensitive method was also established using high-performance liquid chromatography with diode-array detection for the simultaneous determination of the 11 compounds in Buddleja officinalis. The newly developed method was used to determine the amounts of bioactive components in Buddleja officinalis during four different growth stages. According to these results, we recommend that the full blossom stage is the best time for harvesting this plant to obtain the highest yield of crude materials. Full article
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1621 KiB  
Article
Recovery of Oil with Unsaturated Fatty Acids and Polyphenols from Chaenomelessinensis (Thouin) Koehne: Process Optimization of Pilot-Scale Subcritical Fluid Assisted Extraction
by Zhenzhou Zhu, Rui Zhang, Shaoying Zhan, Jingren He, Francisco J. Barba, Giancarlo Cravotto, Weizhong Wu and Shuyi Li
Molecules 2017, 22(10), 1788; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules22101788 - 22 Oct 2017
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 5576
Abstract
The potential effects of three modern extraction technologies (cold-pressing, microwaves and subcritical fluids) on the recovery of oil from Chaenomelessinensis (Thouin) Koehne seeds have been evaluated and compared to those of conventional chemical extraction methods (Soxhlet extraction). This oil contains unsaturated fatty acids [...] Read more.
The potential effects of three modern extraction technologies (cold-pressing, microwaves and subcritical fluids) on the recovery of oil from Chaenomelessinensis (Thouin) Koehne seeds have been evaluated and compared to those of conventional chemical extraction methods (Soxhlet extraction). This oil contains unsaturated fatty acids and polyphenols. Subcritical fluid extraction (SbFE) provided the highest yield—25.79 g oil/100 g dry seeds—of the three methods. Moreover, the fatty acid composition in the oil samples was analysed using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. This analysis showed that the percentages of monounsaturated (46.61%), and polyunsaturated fatty acids (42.14%), after applying SbFE were higher than those obtained by Soxhlet, cold-pressing or microwave-assisted extraction. In addition, the oil obtained under optimized SbFE conditions (35 min extraction at 35 °C with four extraction cycles), showed significant polyphenol (527.36 mg GAE/kg oil), and flavonoid (15.32 mg RE/kg oil), content, had a good appearance and was of high quality. Full article
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1456 KiB  
Article
Complex Enzyme-Assisted Extraction Releases Antioxidative Phenolic Compositions from Guava Leaves
by Lu Wang, Yanan Wu, Yan Liu and Zhenqiang Wu
Molecules 2017, 22(10), 1648; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules22101648 - 30 Sep 2017
Cited by 50 | Viewed by 7071
Abstract
Phenolics in food and fruit tree leaves exist in free, soluble-conjugate, and insoluble-bound forms. In this study, in order to enhance the bioavailability of insoluble-bound phenolics from guava leaves (GL), the ability of enzyme-assisted extraction in improving the release of insoluble-bound phenolics was [...] Read more.
Phenolics in food and fruit tree leaves exist in free, soluble-conjugate, and insoluble-bound forms. In this study, in order to enhance the bioavailability of insoluble-bound phenolics from guava leaves (GL), the ability of enzyme-assisted extraction in improving the release of insoluble-bound phenolics was investigated. Compared to untreated GL, single xylanase-assisted extraction did not change the composition and yield of soluble phenolics, whereas single cellulase or β-glucosidase-assisted extraction significantly enhanced the soluble phenolics content of PGL. However, complex enzyme-assisted extraction (CEAE) greatly improved the soluble phenolics content, flavonoids content, ABTS, DPPH, and FRAP by 103.2%, 81.6%, 104.4%, 126.5%, and 90.3%, respectively. Interestingly, after CEAE, a major proportion of phenolics existed in the soluble form, and rarely in the insoluble-bound form. Especially, the contents of quercetin and kaempferol with higher bio-activity were enhanced by 3.5- and 2.2-fold, respectively. More importantly, total soluble phenolics extracts of GL following CEAE exhibited the highest antioxidant activity and protective effect against supercoiled DNA damage. This enzyme-assisted extraction technology can be useful for extracting biochemical components from plant matrix, and has good potential for use in the food and pharmaceutical industries. Full article
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3713 KiB  
Article
Ultrasonic Assisted Extraction of Paclitaxel from Taxus x media Using Ionic Liquids as Adjuvants: Optimization of the Process by Response Surface Methodology
by Zhijian Tan, Qiao Li, Chaoyun Wang, Wanlai Zhou, Yuanru Yang, Hongying Wang, Yongjian Yi and Fenfang Li
Molecules 2017, 22(9), 1483; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules22091483 - 11 Sep 2017
Cited by 21 | Viewed by 4763
Abstract
(1) Background: Ionic liquids (ILs) are considered “green” solvents and have been widely used in the extraction and separation field in recent years; (2) Methods: In this study, some common ILs and functionalized magnetic ionic liquids (MILs) were used as adjuvants for the [...] Read more.
(1) Background: Ionic liquids (ILs) are considered “green” solvents and have been widely used in the extraction and separation field in recent years; (2) Methods: In this study, some common ILs and functionalized magnetic ionic liquids (MILs) were used as adjuvants for the solvent extraction of paclitaxel from Taxus x media (T. x media) using methanol solution. The extraction conditions of methanol concentration, IL type and amount, solid–liquid ratio, extraction temperature, and ultrasonic irradiation time were investigated in single factor experiments. Then, three factors of IL amount, solid–liquid ratio, and ultrasonic irradiation time were optimized by response surface methodology (RSM); (3) Results: The MIL [C4MIM]FeCl3Br was screened as the optimal adjuvant. Under the optimization conditions of 1.2% IL amount, 1:10.5 solid–liquid ratio, and 30 min ultrasonic irradiation time, the extraction yield reached 0.224 mg/g; and (4) Conclusions: Compared with the conventional solvent extraction, this ultrasonic assisted extraction (UAE) using methanol and MIL as adjuvants can significantly improve the extraction yield, reduce the use of methanol, and shorten the extraction time, which has the potentiality of being used in the extraction of some other important bioactive compounds from natural plant resources. Full article
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3037 KiB  
Article
Microwave-Assisted Extraction of Natural Antioxidants from the Exotic Gordonia axillaris Fruit: Optimization and Identification of Phenolic Compounds
by Ya Li, Sha Li, Sheng-Jun Lin, Jiao-Jiao Zhang, Cai-Ning Zhao and Hua-Bin Li
Molecules 2017, 22(9), 1481; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules22091481 - 06 Sep 2017
Cited by 71 | Viewed by 5903
Abstract
Our previous study reported that the fruit of Gordonia axillaris, an edible wild fruit, possessed strong antioxidant activity. In this study, a microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) method was established to extract antioxidants from the fruit of Gordonia axillaris. The influence of five [...] Read more.
Our previous study reported that the fruit of Gordonia axillaris, an edible wild fruit, possessed strong antioxidant activity. In this study, a microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) method was established to extract antioxidants from the fruit of Gordonia axillaris. The influence of five parameters, including ethanol concentration, solvent/material ratio, extraction time, extraction temperature and microwave power, was investigated by single-factor experiments. Three factors, namely ethanol concentration, solvent/material ratio, extraction time, were found to exert a major influence on extraction efficacy, and were further studied by response surface methodology to investigate their interactions. Ethanol concentration of 36.89%, solvent/material ratio of 29.56 mL/g, extraction time of 71.04 min, temperature of 40 °C, and microwave power of 400 W were found to be the optimal condition. The TEAC value was 198.16 ± 5.47 µmol Trolox/g DW under the optimal conditions, which was in conformity to the predicted value (200.28 µmol Trolox/g DW). In addition, the MAE method was compared with two conventional methods (Soxhlet extraction and maceration extraction). Results showed that the antioxidant capacity of the extract obtained by MAE method was stronger than that obtained by maceration (168.67 ± 3.88 µmol Trolox/g DW) or Soxhlet extraction (114.09 ± 2.01 µmol Trolox/g DW). Finally, several phenolic compounds in the extract were identified and quantified by UPLC-MS/MS, which were rutin, gallic acid, protocatechuic acid, epicatechin, epicatechin gallate, 2-hydrocinnamic acid, p-coumaric acid, quercetin, chlorogenic acid and ferulic acid. Full article
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4073 KiB  
Article
Optimization of the Ultrasound-Assisted Extraction of Phenolic Compounds from Brosimum alicastrum Leaves and the Evaluation of Their Radical-Scavenging Activity
by Mariel Gullian Klanian and Montserrat Terrats Preciat
Molecules 2017, 22(8), 1286; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules22081286 - 07 Aug 2017
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 4595
Abstract
In order to maximize the yield of the total phenolic content (TPC) and total monomeric anthocyanin (TMA) from Brosimum alicastrum leaf and to study the radical-scavenging activity, a three-level three-factor Box–Behnken design (BBD) was used to determine the optimal points for ultrasound-assisted extraction [...] Read more.
In order to maximize the yield of the total phenolic content (TPC) and total monomeric anthocyanin (TMA) from Brosimum alicastrum leaf and to study the radical-scavenging activity, a three-level three-factor Box–Behnken design (BBD) was used to determine the optimal points for ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE). In this study, we analyzed the extraction time (10, 20, and 30 min), temperature (28, 30, and 32 °C), and probe sonication power (40%, 28 W/cm2; 60%, 51 W/cm2; and 80%, 74 W/cm2). Analysis of variance (ANOVA) indicated that the sonication power plays a significant role in the extraction of phenolic compounds. An increase in time and temperature resulted in a decrease in the yield, in particular, of the TMA group. DPPH was found to be a better indicator of radical-scavenging activity than ABTS. The predicted TPC and TMA optimum levels (45.18 mg GAE/g and 15.16 mg CyE/100 g) were obtained at 28 °C, 80%, and 20–10 min. DPPH obtained a maximum value (67.27 μmol TE/g) under same optimization conditions. The RSM confirmed that TPC and TMA enhanced the antioxidant activity when subjected to low temperature (28 °C), extraction time less than 20 min, and higher sonication power (74 W/cm2), and hence achieving the better DPPH scavenging activity. Full article
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2120 KiB  
Article
Homogenate-assisted Vacuum-powered Bubble Extraction of Moso Bamboo Flavonoids for On-line Scavenging Free Radical Capacity Analysis
by Yinnan Sun, Kui Yang, Qin Cao, Jinde Sun, Yu Xia, Yinhang Wang, Wei Li, Chunhui Ma and Shouxin Liu
Molecules 2017, 22(7), 1156; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules22071156 - 11 Jul 2017
Cited by 17 | Viewed by 4700
Abstract
A homogenate-assisted vacuum-powered bubble extraction (HVBE) method using ethanol was applied for extraction of flavonoids from Phyllostachys pubescens (P. pubescens) leaves. The mechanisms of homogenate-assisted extraction and vacuum-powered bubble generation were discussed in detail. Furthermore, a method for the rapid determination of flavonoids [...] Read more.
A homogenate-assisted vacuum-powered bubble extraction (HVBE) method using ethanol was applied for extraction of flavonoids from Phyllostachys pubescens (P. pubescens) leaves. The mechanisms of homogenate-assisted extraction and vacuum-powered bubble generation were discussed in detail. Furthermore, a method for the rapid determination of flavonoids by HPLC was established. HVBE followed by HPLC was successfully applied for the extraction and quantification of four flavonoids in P. pubescens, including orientin, isoorientin, vitexin, and isovitexin. This method provides a fast and effective means for the preparation and determination of plant active components. Moreover, the on-line antioxidant capacity, including scavenging positive ion and negative ion free radical capacity of different fractions from the bamboo flavonoid extract was evaluated. Results showed that the scavenging DPPH˙ free radical capacity of vitexin and isovitexin was larger than that of isoorientin and orientin. On the contrary, the scavenging ABTS+˙free radical capacity of isoorientin and orientin was larger than that of vitexin and isovitexin. Full article
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2414 KiB  
Article
Subcritical Water Technology for Extraction of Phenolic Compounds from Chlorella sp. Microalgae and Assessment on Its Antioxidant Activity
by Siti Maisurah Zakaria, Siti Mazlina Mustapa Kamal, Mohd Razif Harun, Rozita Omar and Shamsul Izhar Siajam
Molecules 2017, 22(7), 1105; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules22071105 - 03 Jul 2017
Cited by 54 | Viewed by 6961
Abstract
Chlorella sp. microalgae is a potential source of antioxidants and natural bioactive compounds used in the food and pharmaceutical industries. In this study, a subcritical water (SW) technology was applied to determine the phenolic content and antioxidant activity of Chlorella sp. [...] Read more.
Chlorella sp. microalgae is a potential source of antioxidants and natural bioactive compounds used in the food and pharmaceutical industries. In this study, a subcritical water (SW) technology was applied to determine the phenolic content and antioxidant activity of Chlorella sp. This study focused on maximizing the recovery of Chlorella sp. phenolic content and antioxidant activity measured by 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay as a function of extraction temperature (100–250 °C), time (5–20 min) and microalgae concentration (5–20 wt. %) using response surface methodology. The optimal operating conditions for the extraction process were found to be 5 min at 163 °C with 20 wt. % microalgae concentration, which resulted in products with 58.73 mg gallic acid equivalent (GAE)/g phenolic content and 68.5% inhibition of the DPPH radical. Under optimized conditions, the experimental values were in close agreement with values predicted by the model. The phenolic content was highly correlated (R² = 0.935) with the antioxidant capacity. Results indicated that extraction by SW technology was effective and that Chlorella sp. could be a useful source of natural antioxidants. Full article
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6918 KiB  
Article
Ultrasonic Assisted-Reflux Synergistic Extraction of Camptothecin and Betulinic Acid from Camptotheca acuminata Decne. Fruits
by Chunying Li, Yukun Zhang, Chunjian Zhao, Yujiao Ni, Kaiting Wang, Jingjing Zhang and Wenyan Zhao
Molecules 2017, 22(7), 1076; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules22071076 - 27 Jun 2017
Cited by 17 | Viewed by 5902
Abstract
A novel and efficient ultrasonic assisted-reflux synergistic extraction (UARSE) method for extracting camptothecin (CPT) and betulinic acid (BA) from Camptotheca acuminata Decne. fruits has been developed in this study. The advantages of the ultrasonic and reflux extraction methods have been combined in the [...] Read more.
A novel and efficient ultrasonic assisted-reflux synergistic extraction (UARSE) method for extracting camptothecin (CPT) and betulinic acid (BA) from Camptotheca acuminata Decne. fruits has been developed in this study. The advantages of the ultrasonic and reflux extraction methods have been combined in the UARSE method and used to extract CPT and BA for the first time. The parameters influencing the efficiency of UARSE were optimized using the Box-Behnken design (BBD) to obtain the maximum extraction yield of CPT and BA. The optimal extraction conditions were as follows: 225 W for the ultrasonic power; 24 min for the extraction time; and 32 mL/g for the liquid–solid ratio. The extraction yields obtained by UARSE were 2.386 ± 0.112 mg/g for CPT and 17.192 ± 0.808 mg/g for BA, which were 1.43-fold and 1.33-fold, respectively, higher than by using heating reflux extraction (HRE) and ultrasonic-assisted extraction (UAE). In addition, the 24-min extraction time using UARSE was 80% and 60% less than those provided by HRE and UAE, respectively. Therefore, UARSE can be considered a rapid and efficient method for extracting CPT and BA from the fruits of C. acuminata Decne. Full article
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9770 KiB  
Article
Magnetic Solid-phase Extraction with Fe3O4/Molecularly Imprinted Polymers Modified by Deep Eutectic Solvents and Ionic Liquids for the Rapid Purification of Alkaloid Isomers (Theobromine and Theophylline) from Green Tea
by Guizhen Li, Xiaoqin Wang and Kyung Ho Row
Molecules 2017, 22(7), 1061; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules22071061 - 25 Jun 2017
Cited by 46 | Viewed by 7695
Abstract
Different kinds of deep eutectic solvents (DES) based on choline chloride (ChCl) and ionic liquids (ILs) based on 1-methylimidazole were used to modify Fe3O4/molecularly imprinted polymers (Fe3O4/MIPs), and the resulting materials were applied for the rapid purification of alkaloid isomers (theobromine and theophylline) [...] Read more.
Different kinds of deep eutectic solvents (DES) based on choline chloride (ChCl) and ionic liquids (ILs) based on 1-methylimidazole were used to modify Fe3O4/molecularly imprinted polymers (Fe3O4/MIPs), and the resulting materials were applied for the rapid purification of alkaloid isomers (theobromine and theophylline) from green tea with magnetic solid-phase extraction (M-SPE). The M-SPE procedure was optimized using the response surface methodology (RSM) to analyze the maximum conditions. The materials were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FI-IR) and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM). Compared to the ILs-Fe3O4/MIPs, the DESs-Fe3O4/MIPs were developed for the stronger recognition and higher recoveries of the isomers (theophylline and theobromine) from green tea, particularly DES-7-Fe3O4/MIPs. With RSM, the optimal recovery condition for theobromine and theophylline in the M-SPE were observed with ratio of methanol (80%) as the washing solution, methanol/acetic acid (HAc) (8:2) as the eluent at pH 3, and an eluent volume of 4 mL. The practical recoveries of theobromine and theophylline in green tea were 92.27% and 87.51%, respectively, with a corresponding actual extraction amount of 4.87 mg•g−1 and 5.07 mg•g−1. Overall, the proposed approach with the high affinity of Fe3O4/MIPs might offer a novel method for the purification of complex isomer samples. Full article
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4241 KiB  
Article
Solvent-Free Microwave-Assisted Extraction of Polyphenols from Olive Tree Leaves: Antioxidant and Antimicrobial Properties
by Selin Şahin, Ruya Samli, Ayşe Seher Birteksöz Tan, Francisco J. Barba, Farid Chemat, Giancarlo Cravotto and José M. Lorenzo
Molecules 2017, 22(7), 1056; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules22071056 - 24 Jun 2017
Cited by 150 | Viewed by 11110
Abstract
Response surface methodology (RSM) and artificial neural networks (ANN) were evaluated and compared in order to decide which method was the most appropriate to predict and optimize total phenolic content (TPC) and oleuropein yields in olive tree leaf (Olea europaea) extracts, [...] Read more.
Response surface methodology (RSM) and artificial neural networks (ANN) were evaluated and compared in order to decide which method was the most appropriate to predict and optimize total phenolic content (TPC) and oleuropein yields in olive tree leaf (Olea europaea) extracts, obtained after solvent-free microwave-assisted extraction (SFMAE). The SFMAE processing conditions were: microwave irradiation power 250–350 W, extraction time 2–3 min, and the amount of sample 5–10 g. Furthermore, the antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of the olive leaf extracts, obtained under optimal extraction conditions, were assessed by several in vitro assays. ANN had better prediction performance for TPC and oleuropein yields compared to RSM. The optimum extraction conditions to recover both TPC and oleuropein were: irradiation power 250 W, extraction time 2 min, and amount of sample 5 g, independent of the method used for prediction. Under these conditions, the maximal yield of oleuropein (0.060 ± 0.012 ppm) was obtained and the amount of TPC was 2.480 ± 0.060 ppm. Moreover, olive leaf extracts obtained under optimum SFMAE conditions showed antibacterial activity against S. aureus and S. epidermidis, with a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) value of 1.25 mg/mL. Full article
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3581 KiB  
Article
Response Surface Optimized Infrared-Assisted Extraction and UHPLC Determination of Flavonoid Types from Flos Sophorae
by Qianqian Mou, Jingxia He, Rongli Yin, Bin Yang, Meihong Fu, Jing Fang and Hua Li
Molecules 2017, 22(6), 1000; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules22061000 - 15 Jun 2017
Cited by 19 | Viewed by 4533
Abstract
Single-factor experiment and Box-Behnken design were applied to optimize the infrared-assisted extraction (IRAE) of rutin, quercetin, kaempferol, and isorhamnetin from Flos sophorae. Four factors (extract solvent, solid-liquid ration, extraction time, infrared power) affecting the extraction yield of flavonoids were studied. Under optimized conditions [...] Read more.
Single-factor experiment and Box-Behnken design were applied to optimize the infrared-assisted extraction (IRAE) of rutin, quercetin, kaempferol, and isorhamnetin from Flos sophorae. Four factors (extract solvent, solid-liquid ration, extraction time, infrared power) affecting the extraction yield of flavonoids were studied. Under optimized conditions the extraction yield was 33.199 ± 0.24 mg/g, which substantially improved, compared with heating reflux extraction (HRE) and ultrasonic-assisted extraction (UAE), while extraction time was only 9 min. The eluents were rich in 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 2,2′-azobis (2-methyl-propionamidine) dihydrochloride radical scavenging potential (IC50 of DPPH: 53.44 ± 0.01 μg/mL, oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC): 3785.83 ± 52 μmol/g) than the extracts obtained by HRE and UAE. In addition, an ultra-high performance liquid chromatography method was optimized for the identification and quantification of the tested flavonoids, and the method was validated based on its correlation coefficient (r), reproducibility (RSD, n = 5), and recovery values, which were 0.9994–0.9998, 0.74–1.83%, and 97.78–102.94%, respectively. These results confirmed that high extraction yield of flavonoids results in stronger antioxidant values and response surface methodology optimization of IRAE is a promising alternative to traditional extraction techniques for flavonoids from medicinal plants. Full article
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2196 KiB  
Article
Optimization of Ultrasonic-assisted Extraction of Fatty Acids in Seeds of Brucea Javanica (L.) Merr. from Different Sources and Simultaneous Analysis Using High-Performance Liquid Chromatography with Charged Aerosol Detection
by Zhuona Wu, Ling Li, Ning Li, Tong Zhang, Yiqiong Pu, Xitong Zhang, Yue Zhang and Bing Wang
Molecules 2017, 22(6), 931; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules22060931 - 04 Jun 2017
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 4959
Abstract
Our research aimed to optimize the oil extraction process and determine the fatty acids in Brucea javanica (L.) Merr. seeds. The extraction technology was optimized using response surface methodology. A Box-Behnken design was employed to investigate the effects of three independent variables on [...] Read more.
Our research aimed to optimize the oil extraction process and determine the fatty acids in Brucea javanica (L.) Merr. seeds. The extraction technology was optimized using response surface methodology. A Box-Behnken design was employed to investigate the effects of three independent variables on an ultrasonic-assisted extraction technique, namely, sonication time (X1: 20–40 min), liquid–solid ratio (X2: 16:1 mL/g–24:1 mL/g), and ethanol concentration (X3: 90%–100%). The optimum conditions of sonication time, liquid–solid ratio, and ethanol concentration were 40 min, 24:1 mL/g, and 100%, respectively. The content of fatty acids and the oil yield were 14.64 mg/g and 16.87%, respectively, which match well with the predicted models. The optimum number of extraction times was eventually identified as two. A new rapid method for the qualitative and quantitative analysis of the fatty acids of B. javanica (L.) Merr. seed oil using HPLC with a charged aerosol detector was described. The fatty acid contents of 14 batches of B. javanica (L.) Merr. seed oil were determined, and the relevance and difference were analyzed by fingerprint analysis. The fingerprint has five common peaks, and the similarity was greater than 0.991. HPLC analysis represents a specialized and rational approach for the quality identification and comprehensive evaluation of B. javanica (L.) Merr. seed oils. Full article
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1064 KiB  
Article
Optimization of Ultrasound-Assisted Extraction of Antioxidants from the Mung Bean Coat
by Yue Zhou, Jie Zheng, Ren-You Gan, Tong Zhou, Dong-Ping Xu and Hua-Bin Li
Molecules 2017, 22(4), 638; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules22040638 - 15 Apr 2017
Cited by 62 | Viewed by 5617
Abstract
Mung bean (Vigna radiata) sprout is commonly consumed as a vegetable, while the coat of the germinated mung bean is a waste. In this paper, an ultrasound-assisted extraction method has been developed to extract natural antioxidants from the seed coat of [...] Read more.
Mung bean (Vigna radiata) sprout is commonly consumed as a vegetable, while the coat of the germinated mung bean is a waste. In this paper, an ultrasound-assisted extraction method has been developed to extract natural antioxidants from the seed coat of mung bean. Several experimental parameters—which included ethanol concentration, solvent/material ratio, ultrasound extraction time, temperature, and power—were studied in single-factor experiments. The interaction of three key experimental parameters (ethanol concentration, solvent/material ratio, and ultrasonic extraction time) was further investigated by response surface method. Besides, traditional extracting methods, including maceration and Soxhlet extraction methods, were also carried out for comparison. The results suggested that the best extracting condition was 37.6% (v/v) of ethanol concentration, 35.1:1 mL/g of solvent/material ratio and ultrasonic extraction of 46.1 min at 70 °C under 500 W ultrasonic irradiation. The antioxidant capacity (178.28 ± 7.39 µmol Trolox/g DW) was much stronger than those obtained by the maceration extraction process (158.66 ± 4.73 µmol Trolox/g DW) and the Soxhlet extraction process (138.42 ± 3.63 µmol Trolox/g DW). In addition, several antioxidant components in the extract were identified and quantified. This study is helpful for value-added utilization of the waste from germinated mung bean. Full article
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