Effects of ultrahigh pressure extraction conditions on yields of berberine and palmatine from cortex Phellodendri amurensis

Abstract

A new method using ultrahigh pressure was used to extract palmatine and berberine from the barks of cortex Phellodendri amurensis. The optimal conditions for ultrahigh pressure extraction (UPE) of palmatine and berberine were quantified by HPLC-DAD with standard samples. Orthogonal design was applied to evaluate the effects of four independent factors (extraction pressure, extraction temperature, liquid/solid ratio and ethanol concentration) on the yield. The optimal conditions of ultrahigh pressure extraction were obtained at an extraction pressure of 400 MPa, extraction temperature of 40 °C, extraction time of 4 min, a liquid/solid ratio of 30 : 1 and an ethanol concentration of 50%. The results showed that the UPE method can produce palmatine and berberine with the highest yield. In addition, scanning electron microscope (SEM) images of the plant cells after ultrahigh pressure treatment were obtained to provide visual evidence of the disruption effect. Compared with other extraction techniques, such as reflux, ultrasonic, and soxhlet extraction, UPE shows several advantages, such as higher extraction yield, less extraction time, lower extraction temperature and energy consumption. Moreover, UPE may be also a better way to be applied in industry.