EXTRACTION METHODS

071 090 094 106

M. Rafi’i Kartika
Retno W.A Kurniawan
Sya’bani F.A
 PARAMETERS FOR SELECTING AN
APPROPRIATE EXTRACTION METHOD

1.Authentication of plant material should be done before performing extraction.

2.Use the right plant part and, for quality control purposes, record the age of
plant and the time, season and place of collection.
3.Conditions used for drying the plant material largely depend on the nature of
its chemical constituents. Hot or cold blowing air flow for drying is generally
preferred.
4.Grinding methods should be specified and techniques that generate heat should
be avoided as much as possible.
5.Powdered plant material should be passed through suitable sieves to get the
required particles of uniform size
 PARAMETERS FOR SELECTING AN
APPROPRIATE EXTRACTION METHOD Cont.
6. Nature of constituents:
a. If the therapeutic value lies in non-polar constituents, a non-polar solvent may be used.
b. If the constituents are thermolabile, extraction methods like cold maceration, percolation and
CCE are preferred. For thermostable constituents, Soxhlet extraction (if nonaqueous solvents
are used) and decoction (if water is the menstruum) are useful.
c. Suitable precautions should be taken when dealing with constituents that degrade while being
kept in organic solvents.
d. In case of hot extraction, higher than required temperature should be avoided.
e. Standardization of time of extraction is important
• Insufficient time means incomplete extraction.
• If the extraction time is longer, unwanted constituents may also be extracted
f. The number of extractions required for complete extraction is as important as the duration of
each extraction.
 PARAMETERS FOR SELECTING AN
APPROPRIATE EXTRACTION METHOD Cont.

7.The quality of water or menstruum used should be specified and controlled.

8.Concentration and drying procedures should ensure the safety and stability of
the active constituents.
9.The design and material of fabrication of the extractor are also to be taken into
consideration.
10.Analytical parameters of the final extract, such as TLC and HPLC fingerprints,
should be documented to monitor the quality of different batches of the
extracts.
 GENERAL PRINCIPLES AND MECHANISMS
INVOLVED IN CRUDE DRUG EXTRACTION

• The general principles and mechanisms involved for the extraction of

soluble constituents from solid materials using solvent
• The extraction procedures are affected by various factors
a) The rate of transport of solvent into the mass
b) The rate of solubilization of the soluble constituents by the
solvent
c) The rate of transport of solution out of the insoluble material.
FACTORS AFFECTING THE CHOICE OF
EXTRACTION PROCESS

• Nature of the Crude Drug

The choice to use maceration or percolation primarily depends upon the nature
and characteristics of the crude drugs to be extracted.

• Stability of the Crude Drug

Continuous hot extraction procedures should be avoided when constituents of the
drug are thermolabile
FACTORS AFFECTING THE CHOICE OF
EXTRACTION PROCESS
Cont.

• Cost of the Crude Drug

When the crude drug is expensive, it is desirable to obtain complete extraction.
Therefore, from the economic point of view, percolation should be used. For
inexpensive drugs, maceration, despite its lower efficiency, is acceptable in view of
its lower cost.

• Solvent
Selection of the solvent depends on the solubility of the desired components of
the material. If the constituents demand a solvent other than a pure boiling solvent
or an azeotrope, continuous extraction should be used.
FACTORS AFFECTING THE CHOICE OF
EXTRACTION PROCESS
Cont.

• Concentration of the Product

Dilute products such as tinctures can be made by maceration or percolation. For
semi-concentrated preparations, the more efficient percolation process is used.
Concentrated preparations, such as liquid or dry extracts, are made by percolation.

• Recovery of Solvent
Solvent is preferably recovered under reduced pressure to save thermolabile
constituents.
 GENERAL METHODS OF
EXTRACTION OF
MEDICINAL AND AROMATIC PLANTS

CLASSIC Methods MODERN Methods

1. Maceration 1. Supercritical Fluid Extraction (SFE)
2. Infusion 2. Microwave assisted extraction (MAE)
3. Decoction 3. Ultrasound Extraction (Sonication)
4. Percolation
5. Hot Continuous Extraction
(Soxhlet)
CLASSIC METHODS Powdered Crude Drug

1. Maceration

Advantages
This technique is the easiest and At room
simple method
temperature for
Weakness a period of at
Organic waste come into an least 3 days
Chosen Solvent with frequent
issue as large volume of solvents
is used and proper management agitation until
of the waste is needed Stoppered Container the soluble
(Azwanida, 2015).
matter has
dissolved.
CLASSIC METHODS

2. Infusion

Advantages Crude Drug

1. This technique is the
easiest and simple method
2. Period for infusion is
shorter than maceration
Infusion and decoction uses the same principle as
Weakness maceration; both are soaked in cold or boiled water.
Organic waste come into an However, the maceration period for infusion is shorter
issue as large volume of
solvents is used.
and the sample is boiled in specified volume of water (eg.
1:4 or 1:16) for a defined time for decoction (Azwanida,
2015).
CLASSIC METHODS In this process, the crude drug is boiled in a specified
volume of water for a defined time; it is then cooled and
3. Decoction strained or filtered. This procedure is suitable for
extracting water-soluble, heat-stable constituents hard
plants materials (e.g. roots and barks) and usually resulted
in more oil-soluble compounds compared to maceration
and infusion. The starting ratio of crude drug to water is
fixed, e.g. 1:4 or 1:16; the volume is then brought down to
one-fourth its original volume by boiling during the
extraction procedure. Then, the concentrated extract is
filtered and used as such or processed further.

Advantages
This technique is the easiest and simple method

Weakness
Organic waste come into an issue as large volume of solvents is
used
CLASSIC METHODS

4. Percolation Crude Drug

stand
Advantages for 4h
1. This technique is the easiest
and simple method.
2. When the crude drug is Stoppered
Menstruum
expensive (e.g. ginger), it is Container
desirable to obtain complete
extraction. Therefore, from the
economic point of view,
percolation should be used. After which the mass is packed
Percolator and the top of the percolator is
closed. Additional menstruum is
Weakness
The outlet of the percolator then is
added to form a shallow layer
1. More solvents
above the mass, and the mixture
2. Risk of microbial contamination opened and the liquid contained
therein is allowed to drip slowly. is allowed to macerate in the
for air solvents because it is
closed percolator for 24 h.
done openly.
 When the level of liquid in chamber rises to the
CLASSIC METHODS top of siphon tube, the liquid contents of
chamber siphon into flask. This process is
5.Hot Continuous continuous and is carried out until a drop of
Extraction (Soxhlet) solvent from the siphon tube does not leave
residue when evaporated.

Advantages
1. Large amounts of drug can be extracted
with a much smaller quantity of solvent.
2. This effects tremendous economy in terms
of time, energy and consequently financial
inputs.
Filter Paper
Weakness
1. Exposure to hazardous and flammable liquid
organic solvents, with potential toxic
emissions during extraction.
Crude Drug 2. This procedure is considered not
environmental friendly and may contribute
to pollution problem (Azwanida, 2015).
MODERN METHODS 1. Supercritical Fluid Extraction (SFE)

Advantages
1. The extraction of constituents at low temperature,
which strictly avoids damage from heat and some
organic solvents.
2. No solvent residues.
3. Environmentally friendly extraction procedure.
4. carbon dioxide is low-cost, easy to obtain, inert
towards UV, non-poisonous and a good solvent for
non-polar molecules.

Weakness
1. SFC does not have the selectivity of HPLC The factors to consider include temperature,
2. A major drawback of this method is the initial cost pressure, sample volume, analyte collection,
of the equipment is very high modifier (cosolvent) addition, flow and pressure
control, and restrictors. This method use of CO2
as the extracting fluid.
 2. Microwave Assisted Extraction
MODERN METHODS
The mechanism in microwave-assisted
extraction (MAE):
1) The heat of the microwave irradiation is
directly transferred to the solid without
absorption by the microwave-transparent
solvent;
2) The intense heating of step 1 causes
instantaneous heating of the residual
microwave-absorbing moisture in the solid;
3) The heated moisture evaporates, creating a
high vapor pressure;
4) The vapor pressure generated by the moisture
breaks the cell; and
5) Breakage of cell walls releases the oil trapped
within it
(MAE)
Advantages
1. Reduced extraction time and solvent
volume as compared to conventional
method (maceration & Soxhlet
extraction).
2. Improved recoveries of analytes and
reproducibility were observed in
MAE method but with caution of
using proper conditions to avoid
thermal degradation
Weakness
Microwave radiation decays
exponentially inside a solid matrix.
MODERN METHODS 3. Ultrasound Extraction (Sonication)

Advantages
1. Useful in some cases, like extraction of rauwolfia
root.
2. Reduction in extraction time and solvent
consumption.

Weakness
1. Its large-scale application is limited due to the
higher costs
2. One disadvantage of the procedure is the
occasional but known deleterious effect of
The procedure involves the use of ultrasound ultrasound energy (more than 20 kHz) on the
active constituents of medicinal plants through
with frequencies ranging from 20 kHz to 2000 formation of free radicals and consequently
kHz; this increases the permeability of cell walls undesirable changes in the drug molecules.
and produces cavitation.
 INSTRUMENT OF CHOICE

• If the constituents are thermolabile, extraction methods like cold

maceration, percolation and CCE are preferred.
• For thermostable constituents, Soxhlet extraction (if nonaqueous
solvents are used) and decoction (if water is the menstruum) are
useful.
 REFERENCE

Nn A., 2015, A Review on the Extraction Methods Use in Medicinal Plants, Principle,
Strength and Limitation, Medicinal & Aromatic Plants, 04 (03), 3–8. Terdapat di:
http://www.omicsgroup.org/journals/a-review-on-the-extraction-methods-use-in-
medicinal-plants-principle-strength-and-limitation-2167-0412-
1000196.php?aid=58448.
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