Abstract:

In this study, we investigated the high pressure microwave-assisted extraction (HPME) optimization of arctiin from Fructus Arctii, analyzed the effect of HPME on the cell wall structure of Fructus Arctii and made a comparison between HPME and three other methods, including atmospheric microwave-assisted extraction, Soxhlet extraction and heat reflux extraction. The optimum process parameters for arctiin extraction by HPME were determined as follows: microwave power 700 W, length of extraction 197 s and extraction pressure 0.4 MPa. Under such conditions, the arctiin yield was 9.010%. HPME had the advantages of efficiency and rapidity over the three other methods. This is likely to be due to tissue structure collapse and cell wall disruption caused by microwave irradiation in high pressure environment. In conclusion, HPME is a feasible method for arctiin extraction from f Fructus Arctii.

Key words: high pressure microwave-assisted extraction, arctiin, Box-Behnken experimental design, scan electron microscope