A PRELIMINARY INVESTIGATION OF A MICROWAVE ASSISTED EXTRACTION STRATEGY FOR OPTIMUM EXTRACTION OF PHENOLICS FROM FICUS RACEMOSA FRUITS

Abstract

Polyphenolic compounds provide numerous benefits to cells, not just through their antioxidant properties but also by influencing various signaling pathways. The fruits of Ficus racemosa are recognized for containing valuable phenolic compounds such as gallic acid and ellagic acid; however, they have largely been overlooked, primarily being used for animal feed and ceremonial purposes in northeastern India. This study outlines an energy efficient approach to extract a phenolic-rich fraction from this underutilized wild fruit by employing modern green extraction techniques with less carbon foot print. To achieve this, microwave-assisted extraction (MAE), an automated green extraction method, was utilized to efficiently extract the phenolic-rich fraction from Ficus racemosa fruits, supported by multivariate statistical optimization tools. The significant parameters with optimal values obtained from optimization study were microwave power (457 Watts), extraction time (12.20 min) and ethanol concentration (61.0% v/v). The total phenolic content (TPC) and IC₅₀ values (Antioxidant potential) as obtained from optimization design were 69.43 mg gallic acid equivalent (GAE) / g DM and 211.32 μg /ml respectively under optimal conditions. Validation experiments confirmed reproducibility of the optimized conditions, with 95% confidence intervals of 68.02–69.04 mg GAE/g DW for TPC and 211.26–216.54 µg/ml for IC₅₀, thereby strengthening confidence in the optimization outcome. MAE was found to be approximately 50 % and 120 % more efficient than ultrasound and Soxhlet extraction respectively. MAE was found to be more energy efficient in extracting out phenolics with less electrical consumption and carbon emission into the environment in comparison to other techniques. Thus, MAE showed obvious advantages over conventional extraction techniques in terms of better extraction efficiency, reduced extraction time and environment effect.