Efficacy of Ultrasonic Waves in Extraction Ascorbic acid and Bioactive Compounds from Ajowan seeds (Carum copticum L.) and Comparison with Conventional Soxhlet Extraction

The main objective of this study was to compare the performance of ultrasound assisted extraction (UAE) with the soxhlet extraction method. In this research, the extraction of ascorbic acid from ajowan seeds ( Carum copticum L.) was studied and compared with the soxhlet method, based on the Response Surface Methodology (RSM). The experiments consisted of four factors with three levels. A Central Composite Design (CCD) experiment was employed at powers of 100, 200, and 300 W; temperatures of 40, 50, and 60 degrees C; total time of 10, 20, and 30 min and pulsed time of 0, 2, and 4 s, including 30 experimental runs. The soxhlet method was considered as a control with a run time of 240 min and a boiling temperature of 85 degrees C. Ascorbic acid, Total Soluble Solids (TSS), and DPPH radical scavenging assay of ajowan seeds extracts were determined, and the results were analyzed by RSM. The amount of ascorbic acid, in the ultrasound method was 0.30 mg/ml more than the soxhlet method and the free radical scavenging in the ultrasound method increased by 19.86 % compared to the soxhlet method. The results of the present study demonstrate that the ultrasound assisted extraction method is an alternative affordable for yield extraction compared to the soxhlet method.Optimum extraction conditions (power 172.59 W, temperature 59.94 degrees C, sonication duration 21.77 min, and pulsed time 2.10 s) were obtained for extraction TSS (23.76 degrees Bx), DPPH (63.18 %) and ascorbic acid (0.73 mg/ml).