Microwave-assisted extraction of polysaccharides from solanum nigrum

Abstract

The microwave-assisted method was used to extract polysaccharides from solanum nigrum. The optimum experimental parameters, mechanism of the extraction and the effect of microwave-assisted extraction process on the structures of polysaccharides were investigated. The extract was analyzed by the modified phenol-sulfuric acid method at 490 nm. The optimum experimental parameters were obtained by orthogonal experiments as follows: extraction time 15 min, microwave radiation power 455 W and the process ratio of materials mass to solvent volume 1:20. The results show that compared with the conventional reflux extraction, the microwave-assisted extraction has a higher yield in shorter time, with no effect on the finally obtained polysaccharides as seen from the FT-IR spectra. The scanning electron microscopy images reveal that the mechanism of the extraction is related to the structural changes of the plant cells in different extracting conditions.