Extraction of Nutraceuticals from

Plants
Nikhil Chipade
11OIL1014
Introduction
Plant contains broad range of bioactive compounds
like lipids, phytochemicals, pharmaceutics, flavours,
fragrances and pigments.
Bioactive widely used in food, pharmaceutical and
cosmetics industry.
Issues for each extraction method is matrix
characteristics, solvent choice, liquid-solid ratio,
temperature, pressure and extraction time.
Conventional Soxhlet Extraction
Extractor holds plant material
to be extracted.
Solvent from flask evaporates
and condenses in extractor.
Once liquid reaches overflow
level, it gets siphoned back to
solvent flask.
Solute is separated from
solvent using distillation.
The operation is repeated with
fresh solvent till complete
extraction is achieved.
Practical issues for Soxhlet Extraction
Solvent Choice:
Suitable extracting solvent
Non Toxic, Environment Friendly
Low Boiling and Inert
Matrix Characteristics:
Depends on particle size; internal diffusion is limiting step.
Operating Condition:
Higher temperature may cause undesirable coloration.


Advantages:
Displacement of transfer equilibrium by repeatedly
bringing fresh solvent in contact with solid.
Maintaining high extraction temperature with heat form
solvent flask.
No filtration required.
Disadvantages:
Long extraction time.
Agitation not possible.
Large amount of solvent required.
Possibility of thermal degradation.
Sonication-assisted Extraction
Sound waves having frequency higher than 20KHz
create mechanical vibrations.
These mechanical effects induce greater penetration
of solvent into cellular materials thereby improving
mass transfer.
Ultrasound also is responsible for efficient cell wall
disruption facilitating release of contents.
Therefore, efficient cell wall disruption and improved
mass transfer are two major factors for enhancement
of extraction.
Practical issues for sonication-assisted
extraction
Efficiency depends on:
Moisture Content and Particle Size
Solvent Selection
Ultrasound Frequency
Temperature
Sonication Time (Crucial)
Operating Conditions:
Mild temperature (depending on R.M and Extract)
Accurate Temperature Control is necessary


Advantage:
Inexpensive, simple and efficient alternative to soxhlet.
Reduce operating temperature allowing extraction of heat
liable compounds.
Disadvantage:
Dispersions may attenuate ultrasound waves.
Restricted to a zone located near ultrasound emitter.

Microwave-assisted Extraction
Electromagnetic radiation with a frequency from 0.3
to 300 GHz.
Generally operated at 2.45 GHz.
Rapid delivery of energy to total volume of solvent
and solid matrix.
Cell disruption is promoted by internal superheating,
improving recovery of nutraceutics.

Microwave-assisted Extraction
Two types of commercially available MAE:
Closed Extraction Vessels
Used when high extraction temperature is necessary.
Pressure depends on boiling point of solvent used.
Open Extraction Vessels
Carried out at atmospheric pressure.
Operating temperature depends on boiling point of solvent used.

Practical issues for MAE
Matrix characteristics:
Depends on dielectric susceptibility of solvent and matrix.
Particle size and size distribution influence efficiency of
MAE.
Solvent Choice:
Depends on solubility of extracts, interaction with plat
matrix and microwave absorbing properties (dielectric
constant).
Operating Conditions:
Sufficient solvent to immerse solid mass.
Higher solvent volume to solid mass ratio.
Adequate Stirring.
Elevated Temperature (depending on extract)
Advantage:
Reduced extraction time and solvent usage.
Improved extraction yield.
Disadvantage:
Centrifugation or filtration is necessary.
Efficiency is poor when either target compound or solvent
is non-polar or volatile.

Supercritical Fluid Extraction
Supercritical state is achieved when the
temperature and the pressure of substance is raised
over its critical value.
Advantage:
Dissolving power of fluid depends on its density which
can be adjusted using temperature and pressure.
Supercritical fluid has high diffusion coefficient , lower
viscosity and surface tension than a liquid solvent, leading
to more favourable mass transfer.

Practical issues for supercritical fluid
extraction
Fluid Choice:
CO2 very popular choice for non-polar extracts.
Freon-22, Nitrous Oxide good for polar extracts but there
are environment and safety issues.
Modifiers are added to CO2 so that it can also extract
polar components.
Methanol is commonly used as its 20% miscible in CO2.
Ethanol may be better choice as its less toxic.
Preparation of plant materials:
High moisture content causes mechanical difficulties such
as clogging due to ice formation.
Water is only about 0.3% soluble in supercritical CO2 but
polar components will prefer aqueous phase more over
CO2.
To avoid this, mix chemicals such as Na2SO4 and silica
gel to absorb moisture from plant materials.
Smaller size, better extraction but too small size may
make CO2 impermissible from particle bed.
Hence some rigid materials, like glass beads and sea
sands are packed with fine plant powder.

Operating Conditions:
Choice of proper density of supercritical fluid such as
CO2 i.e optimum temperature and pressure.
Extraction time also decides extract composition.
Advantage:
Unusual possibilities of selective extraction.
Dissolved nutraceutical compound can be recovered by
reducing density of supercritical fluid.
No loss of volatiles while recovering nutraceutical
compound.
Higher diffusivity of supercritical fluid as compared to any
other liquid, thus rapid mass transfer.
Advantage:
SFE uses moderate temperature for extraction thus
suitable for heat sensitive compounds.
Environmental Friendly process.
SFE can be directly coupled with chromatographic
method for simultaneous extraction and quantification.
Disadvantage:
High initial cost of investment.