Fengli Chen

Ionic Liquid-Based Vacuum Microwave-Assisted Extraction Followed by Macroporous Resin Enrichment for the Separation of the Three Glycosides Salicin, Hyperin and Rutin from Populus Bark

An effective ionic liquid vacuum microwave-assisted method was developed for extraction of the thermo- and oxygen-sensitive glycosides salicin, hyperin and rutin from Populus bark due to the strong solvating effects of ionic liquids on plant cell walls. In this study, [C4mim]BF4 solution was selected as the extracting solution for extraction of the target analytes. After optimization by single factor experiments and response surface methodology, the optimum condition parameters were achieved, which included 1.0 M [C4mim]BF4, 2 h soaking time, −0.08 MPa vacuum, 20 min microwave irradiation time, 400 W microwave irradiation power and 25 mL/g liquid/solid ratio. Under the optimum conditions, higher extraction yields of salicin (35.53 mg/g), hyperin (1.32 mg/g) and rutin (2.40 mg/g) were obtained. Compared with other extraction methods, the developed method provided higher yields of the three target components after a relatively shorter extraction time (20 min). No obvious degradation of the target analytes was observed under the optimum conditions in performed stability studies and the proposed method had a high reproducibility. Meanwhile, after adsorption and desorption on macroporous D101 resin, the target analytes can be effectively separated from the [C4mim]BF4 ionic liquid extraction solution and the yields of salicin, hyperin and rutin were 89%, 82% and 84%, respectively. The recovered [C4mim]BF4 ionic liquid presented a good extraction effect on the three analytes after recycling five times.

An approach for extraction of kernel oil from Pinus pumila using homogenate-circulating ultrasound in combination with an aqueous enzymatic process and evaluation of its antioxidant activity.

In this study, a novel approach involving homogenate-circulating ultrasound in combination with aqueous enzymatic extraction (H-CUAEE) was developed for extraction of kernel oil from Pinus pumila. Following comparison of enzyme types and concentrations, an enzyme mixture consisting of cellulase, pectinase and hemicellulase (1:1:1, w/w/w) at a concentration of 2.5% was selected and applied for effective oil extraction and release. Several variables potentially influencing extraction yields, namely, homogenization time, incubation temperature, incubation time, mark-space ratio of ultrasound irradiation, ultrasound irradiation power, liquid-solid ratio, pH and stirring rate, were optimized by Plackett-Burman design. Among the eight variables, incubation temperature, incubation time and liquid-solid ratio were statistically significant and were further optimized by Box-Behnken design to predict optimum extraction conditions and ascertain operability ranges for maximum extraction yield. Under optimum operating conditions, extraction yields of P. pumila kernel oil were 31.89±1.12% with a Δ5-unsaturated polymethylene interrupted fatty acid content of 20.07% and an unsaturated fatty acid content of 93.47%. Our study results indicate that the proposed H-CUAEE process has enormous potential for efficient and environmentally friendly extraction of edible oils.

Extraction and Chromatographic Determination of Shikimic Acid in Chinese Conifer Needles with 1-Benzyl-3-methylimidazolium Bromide Ionic Liquid Aqueous Solutions

An ionic liquids-based ultrasound-assisted extraction (ILUAE) method was successfully developed for extracting shikimic acid from conifer needles. Eleven 1-alkyl-3-methylimidazolium ionic liquids with different cations and anions were investigated and 1-benzyl-3-methylimidazolium bromide solution was selected as the solvent. The conditions for ILUAE, including the ionic liquid concentration, ultrasound power, ultrasound time, and liquid-solid ratio, were optimized. The proposed method had good recovery (99.37%–100.11%) and reproducibility (RSD, n = 6; 3.6%). ILUAE was an efficient, rapid, and simple sample preparation technique that showed high reproducibility. Based on the results, a number of plant species, namely, Picea koraiensis, Picea meyeri, Pinus elliottii, and Pinus banksiana, were identified as among the best resources of shikimic acid.

Optimization of ultrasonic circulating extraction of samara oil from Acer saccharum using combination of Plackett-Burman design and Box-Behnken design.

In this study, ultrasonic circulating extraction (UCE) technique was firstly and successfully applied for extraction of samara oil from Acer saccharum. The extraction kinetics were fitted and described, and the extraction mechanism was discussed. Through comparison, n-hexane was selected as the extraction solvent, the influence of solvent type on the responses was detailedly interpreted based on the influence of their properties on the occurrence and intensity of cavitation. Seven parameters potentially influencing the extraction yield of samara oil and content of nervonic acid, including ultrasound irradiation time, ultrasound irradiation power, ultrasound temperature, liquid-solid ratio, soaking time, particle size and stirring rate, were screened through Plackett-Burman design to determine the significant variables. Then, three parameters performed statistically significant, including liquid-solid ratio, ultrasound irradiation time and ultrasound irradiation power, were further optimized using Box-Behnken design to predict optimum extraction conditions. Satisfactory yield of samara oil (11.72±0.38%) and content of nervonic acid (5.28±0.18%) were achieved using the optimal conditions. 1% proportion of ethanol in extraction solvent, 120°C of drying temperature and 6.4% moisture were selected and applied for effective extraction. There were no distinct differences in the physicochemical properties of samara oil obtained by UCE and Soxhlet extraction, and the samara oil obtained by UCE exhibited better antioxidant activities. Therefore, UCE method has enormous potential for efficient extraction of edible oil with high quality from plant materials.

Development of an Ionic Liquid-Based Microwave-Assisted Method for the Extraction and Determination of Taxifolin in Different Parts of Larix gmelinii

An ionic liquid-based microwave-assisted extraction method (ILMAE) was successfully applied for the extraction of taxifolin from Larix gmelinii. Different kinds of 1-alkyl-3-methylimidazolium ionic liquids with different kinds of cations and anions were studied and 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium bromide was chosen as the optimal solvent for taxifolin extraction. The optimal conditions of ILMAE were determined by single factor experiments and Box-Behnken design as follows: [C4mim]Br concentration of 1.00 M, soaking time of 2 h, liquid-solid ratio of 15:1 mL/g, microwave irradiation power of 406 W, microwave irradiation time of 14 min. No degradation of taxifolin had been observed under the optimum conditions as evidenced from the stability studies performed with standard taxifolin. Compared with traditional solvent and methods, ILMAE provided higher extraction yield, lower energy and time consumption. The distribution of taxifolin in different parts of larch and the influences of age, orientation, and season on the accumulation of taxifolin were analyzed for the sufficient utilization of L. gmelinii.

An efficient approach for the extraction of orientin and vitexin from Trollius chinensis flowers using ultrasonic circulating technique

Ultrasonic circulating extraction (UCE) approach was developed for effective extraction of orientin and vitexin from the flowers of Trollius chinensis successfully. In this study, some parameters potentially influencing the yields of orientin and vitexin were systematically investigated and optimized by Plackett-Burman and Box-Behnken design, and the optimum operational conditions obtained were 60% ethanol volume fraction, 1000r/min stirring speed, 30°C temperature, 28min ultrasonic irradiation time, 10mL/g liquid-solid ratio and 738W ultrasonic irradiation power. Satisfactory yields of orientin (6.05±0.19mg/g) and vitexin (0.96±0.03mg/g) were obtained in a relatively shorter extraction time under the derived optimum conditions, compared to other ultrasonic extraction methods and heat extraction methods. The mechanism of UCE procedure was discussed in detail, to illustrate the advantage of UCE in the extraction process. In addition, no degradation of orientin and vitexin and high reproducibility of the developed UCE method were observed under the optimum conditions. The proposed UCE technique with high-capacity and circulation function is a rapid and efficient sample extraction technique, and performs promising in large-scale sample preparation.

Ionic liquids-lithium salts pretreatment followed by ultrasound-assisted extraction of vitexin-4″-O-glucoside, vitexin-2″-O-rhamnoside and vitexin from Phyllostachys edulis leaves.

An efficient method for the extraction of vitexin, vitexin-4″-O-glucoside, and vitexin-2″-O-rhamnoside from Phyllostachys edulis leaves comprises heat treatment using an ionic liquid-lithium salt mixture (using 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium bromide as the solvent and lithium chloride as the additive), followed by ultrasound-assisted extraction. To obtain higher extraction yields, the effects of the relevant experimental parameters (including heat treatment temperature and time, relative amounts of 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium bromide and lithium chloride, power and time of the ultrasound irradiation, and the liquid-solid ratio) are evaluated and response surface methodology is used to optimize the significant factors. The morphologies of the treated and untreated P. edulis leaves are studied by scanning electron microscopy. The improved extraction method proposed provides high extraction yield, good repeatability and precision, and has wide potential applications in the analysis of plant samples.

Preparation and Characterization of Tripterygium wilfordii Multi-Glycoside Nanoparticle Using Supercritical Anti-Solvent Process

The aim of this study was to prepare nanosized Tripterygium wilfordii multi-glycoside (GTW) powders by the supercritical antisolvent precipitation process (SAS), and to evaluate the anti-inflammatory effects. Ethanol was used as solvent and carbon dioxide was used as an antisolvent. The effects of process parameters such as precipitation pressure (15–35 MPa), precipitation temperature (45–65 °C), drug solution flow rates (3–7 mL/min) and drug concentrations (10–30 mg/mL) were investigated. The nanospheres obtained with mean diameters ranged from 77.5 to 131.8 nm. The processed and unprocessed GTW were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy and thermal gravimetric analysis. The present study was designed to investigate the beneficial effect of the GTW nanoparticles on adjuvant-induced arthritis in albino rats. The processed and unprocessed GTW were tested against Freund’s complete adjuvant-induced arthritis in rats. Blood samples were collected for the estimation of interleukins (IL-1α, IL-1β) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α). It was concluded that physicochemical properties and anti-inflammatory activity of GTW nanoparticles could be improved by physical modification, such as particle size reduction using supercritical antisolvent (SAS) process. Further, SAS process was a powerful methodology for improving the physicochemical properties and anti-inflammatory activity of GTW.

A modified approach for isolation of essential oil from fruit of Amorpha fruticosa Linn using microwave-assisted hydrodistillation concatenated liquid-liquid extraction

In this work, a modified technique was developed to separate essential oil from the fruit of Amorpha fruticosa using microwave-assisted hydrodistillation concatenated liquid-liquid extraction (MHD-LLE). The new apparatus consists of two series-wound separation columns for separating essential oil, one is the conventional oil-water separation column, and the other is the extraction column of components from hydrosol using an organic solvent. Therefore, the apparatus can simultaneously collect the essential oil separated on the top of hydrosol and the components extracted from hydrosol using an organic solvent. Based on the yield of essential oil in the first and second separation columns, the effects of parameters were investigated by single factor experiments and Box-Behnken design. Under the optimum conditions (2mL ethyl ether as the extraction solvent in the second separation column, 12mL/g liquid-solid ratio, 4.0min homogenate time, 35min microwave irradiation time and 540W microwave irradiation power), satisfactory yields for the essential oil in the first separation column (10.31±0.33g/kg) and second separation column (0.82±0.03g/kg) were obtained. Compared with traditional methods, the developed method gave a higher yield of essential oil in a shorter time. In addition, GC-MS analysis of the essential oil indicated significant differences of the relative contents of individual volatile components in the essential oils obtained in the two separation columns. Therefore, the MHD-LLE technique developed here is a good alternative for the isolation of essential oil from A. fruticosa fruit as well as other herbs.