Optimization of microwave-assisted extraction of total phenolic and total flavonoid contents from fruits of docynia indica (Wall.) decne. using response surface methodology

Abstract

Docynia indica (D. indica) shows various useful biological activities, such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial effects, and positive benefits for human health. Such biological activities relate to the main phytochemicals of D. indica including phenolic and flavonoid. However, isolation for phenolic and flavonoid by popular methods such as hot extraction, soxhlet extraction, and ultrasonic extraction have been relatively ineffective. Therefore, in this study, microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) was used for the extraction of total phenolic and total flavonoid from D. indica. The optimization experiments were conducted based on response surface methodology (RMS) according to a central composite design with four independent variables: extraction time (min), ethanol concentration (%, v/v), microwave power (W), and pH of the solvent. Three dependent variables were total phenolic content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC), and yield. The optimal conditions for the extraction of phenolic and flavonoid from D. indica were: extraction time of 50 min, ethanol concentration of 65%, microwave power of 440 W, and solvent pH of 5.4. These conditions corresponded to TPC, TFC, and yield values of 33.57 ± 0.12 (mg GAE/g), 25.01 ± 0.11 (mg QE/g) and 33.44 ± 0.14 (%), respectively.