Effect of number of steps on the quality of Eurycoma longifolia extract and cost efficiency of the extraction process

Noor Hafiza HARUN, Azila ABDUL-AZIZ & Ramlan AZIZ

The importance of number of extraction step on cost efficiency of extraction of Eurycoma longifolia is undeniable, in addition to main processing factors like temperature, duration, rotation speed, particle size of raw material, and solvent to raw material ratio.  In lab-scale, the highest cost efficiency of the process was obtained in two-sequential extraction, i.e. 1.45 gram per RM.  This double extraction also seemed appropriate since considerable total yield and amounts of active compounds could be obtained to some level. Multi-step extractions of beyond three steps are not advisable as the severe quality of the extracts.  When increasing the number of extraction steps, the amounts of marker compounds such as eurycomanone and polysaccharides decreased, and simultaneously increased the unwanted constituents.  Improving the extraction efficiency of Eurycoma longifolia particularly in industrial point of view has to be economical at appropriate processing condition.

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