Intensification of catechin extraction from the bark of Syzygium cumini using ultrasonication: Optimization, characterization, degradation analysis and kinetic studies

Catechin is a prominent polyphenolic component that possesses various medicinal properties. Present work communicates the intensification and optimization of catechin extraction from the bark of Syzygium cumini tree using stirred reactor, soxhlet, ultrasonic bath, and ultrasonic horn technique. The optimization of several pa-rameters such as type of solvent, solid to solvent ratio (1:100 w/v), speed of agitation (300 RPM), extraction temperature (40 degrees C), and amplitude (20%) has been done for the maximization of catechin extraction yield. The kinetic (second-order rate mechanism) and degradation analysis (based on LC-MS characterization) have been performed to understand the extraction mechanism, forecast extraction stability, and avoid unwanted catechin degradation during ultrasonication. The effectiveness of different extraction techniques was compared based on the yield of catechin per unit of power dissipated. These studies revealed that ultrasonic horn produced maximum extraction yield (13.8 mg/g) in a shorter time (5 min), consumed less energy (0.2974 kJ), and gave the highest extraction rate (0.0910 g/mg.min) as compared to other techniques. The effectiveness of extraction using the ultrasonic horn was 39.67 mg/g.kJ. A mathematical model using the linear regression method was inves-tigated for the process, which shows numerical correlation and significance factor between the yield and all other parameters.