The document discusses the importance of extraction processes in medicinal plant research and highlights various techniques such as classical extraction and green extraction, which focus on reducing environmental impact and enhancing efficiency. It emphasizes the need for alternative solvents and innovative technologies to optimize energy consumption and improve safety in extraction methods. Additionally, it outlines the principles of green extraction and provides examples of successful alternatives in the production of medicinal compounds.

1. EXTRACTION: The first stop in the “plant to drug
pathway” which needs serious attention
The aims of medicinal plant
research can be summarized as
follows
 qualitative and quantitative
analysis of the constituents of
medicinal plants;
 isolation of plant-originated,
biologically active, purified
fractions and molecules with new
structures;
 optimization of the amount and/or
ratio of medicinal plant
compounds responsible for
therapeutic effects.
The entire objective of
medicinal plant research
can be jeopardized if the
sample preparation
method is compromised
1

2. Classical Techniques
 Maceration
 Soxhlet
 Reflux
 Percolation
 Distillation
2
•organic solvent
consumption
•Sample Degradation
•specificity
•additional sample
clean-up and
concentration steps
before
chromatographic
analysis
•extraction efficiency,
selectivity, and/or
Kinetics and ease of
automation

3. Soxhlet modifications
3

4. 4

5. Green Extraction is based on the discovery and design of
extraction processes which will reduce energy consumption,
allows use of alternative solvents and renewable natural
products, and ensure a safe and high quality extract/product.
Principles of green extraction
 Principle 1: Innovation by selection of varieties and use of
renewable plant resources
 Principle 2: Use of alternative solvents and principally
water or agro-solvents
 Principle 3: Reduce energy consumption by energy
recovery and using innovative technologies
 Principle 4: Reduce unit operations and favour safe, robust
and controlled processes
5

6. Principle 1: Innovation by the Selection of Varieties
and the Use of Renewable Plant Resources
 The increasing demand of natural products and extracts is
leading to the over-exploitation of natural plant resources.
History reports several examples of plant extinction because of
overutilization; the preservation of biodiversity is therefore
mandatory in the respect of future generations. In green
extraction, fully renewable resources have to be favoured either
with intensive cultivation or in vitro growth of plant cells or
organisms.
6

7.  The anti-cancer paclitaxel (Taxol®) extracted from the bark of
the western yew (Taxus brevifolia) is the best known example.
During the 1970s not less than 30 tonnes of bark were
collected for clinical trials: 10 kg of dry bark produce only 1
g of taxol after extraction and purification. A large number
of research projects have therefore been aimed at finding
alternatives to felling trees of this threatened species. Since
1980 paclitaxel and docetaxol (Taxotere®) are prepared by
semisynthesis from the natural precursor, 10-deacetylbaccatine
III, extracted from needles and branches (renewable resource)
of different yew tree species.
7

8. Principle 2: Use of Alternative Solvents and
Principally Water or Agro-Solvents Issued from
Agricultural Resources
Current regulations have a progressive direct impact in diminishing the
consumption of petrochemical solvents and Volatile Organic Compounds
(VOCs). Manufacturers that use organic solvents have to show the absence
of risk during extraction and to demonstrate the safety of ingredients as
regards to solvent traces.
Most organic solvents are flammable, volatile, and often toxic and are
responsible for environmental pollution and the greenhouse effect.
Safety, environmental and economical aspects are forcing industry to turn to
greener solvents. Among green solvents, the agro- or bio-solvents play an
important role for the replacement of petrochemical solvents.
They are a renewable resource produced from biomasses such as wood,
starch, vegetable oils or fruits. These bio-solvents have a high solvent
power, are biodegradable, non-toxic and non-flammable.
8

9. 9
Alternative solvents for green extraction

10. Principle 3: Reduce Energy Consumption by Energy
Recovery and Using Innovative Technologies
Hydrodistillation is an ancient technique for extraction of
essential oils. It is used worldwide for its simplicity but
requires high energy consumption for heating and cooling.
When the process is carried out under moderate pressure,
distillation time is reduced by a factor of 2 or 3, with a reduced
consumption of steam and hence reduced energy consumption.
Some aromatic plants such as sandalwood, cloves, or the
rhizomes of ginger and iris, need more than 24 hours with
atmospheric distillation but less than 3 hours with pressure
steam-distillation at 0.5 MPa.
10

11. Principle 4: Reduce Unit Operations through
Technical Innovation and Favour Safe, Robust and
Controlled Processes
To be competitive industries involved in extraction of natural
products (perfume, cosmetic, pharmaceutical, food, and bio-fuel)
have to combine process intensification with cleaner and safer
extraction protocols. Process intensification covers all developments
of the new equipment, techniques, or procedures that bring
significant progress in comparison with the current production
methods. Development of intensified processes will lead to compact
production units and a reduced number of unit operations, energy
and raw material savings, process safety control, reduction in waste
and ecological footprint.
Extraction involves multiple steps
Portability of extraction set-up
11

12. Steps of extraction
The extraction and recovery of the analyte from the sample matrix can be
expressed in few steps. Initially, to be able to remove the analyte from the
extraction vessel,
The compound is first desorbed from its site in the sample matrix,
Then it is diffused through the organic part of the matrix to be able to
reach the matrix–fluid interface. At this stage the analyte is distributed
into the extraction phase,
Then it diffuses through the extraction phase, thereafter it reaches the
part of the extraction phase that is affected by convection
The final stage of the extraction process is collection of the extracted
analyte
12

13. 13

14. In environmental applications,
desorption step is usually the rate-limiting step, since
solute–matrix interactions are difficult to overcome, for
example in natural sediments, soils and sludge.
In plant materials,
the rate-limiting step is more commonly the solubilization
or the diffusion steps
14

15. Microwave assisted extraction: Basic set-up and
principle
15

16. Microwaves are made of two oscillating perpendicular
fields – electric filed and magnetic field
The principle of heating is based on two principles
which usually occurs simultaneously
Ionic conduction
Dipole rotation
16

17. 17

18. My expereinces with Microwave assisted extraction
18
Plant material
Microwave
irradiation
HPTLC/HPLC
quantification
Extraction
conditions
optimised
Process
reproducibility
check
Comparison with
conventional
techniques
Optimization
parameters
•Extraction time
•Microwave
power
•Preleaching
•Solvent nature
•Matrix
characteristics
•Loading ratio
•Extraction cycle

19. 19
Normal sample Heat refluxed sample

20. 20
Microwave treated sample

21. 21

22. 22
Extraction method Extraction time Solvent volume R.S.D (%) Response
MAE 4 min 40 ml 3.5 (n=5) 5.55
Maceration 24 hrs 40 ml 14.5 (n=5) 1.20
Soxhlet 24 hrs 300 ml 8.4 (n=5) 4.37
Stirring extraction 24 hrs 40 ml 12.1 (n=5) 1.56
100
21.62
78.73
28.1
0 25 50 75 100
'MAE
Maceration
Soxhlet
Stirring extraction'
Extraction
methods
Extraction rate
Extraction rate
MAE results of curcumin

23. Environmental impact
The energy required to perform the two extractions was1.8kWh
for heat reflux extraction and 667×10−4 kWh for MAE. The
power consumption was measured with a wattmeter at the
microwave generator entrance and the electrical heater power
supply. With regard to environmental impact, the quantity of
carbon dioxide released to the atmosphere was 1440 g CO2 g−1
extract for heat reflux extraction (calculated on the basis that
obtaining 1 kWh energy from coal or fuel will release 800 g
CO2 to the atmosphere during combustion of fossil fuel). This
is alarmingly more than the 53.336 g CO2 g−1 extract for MAE.
23

24. Ultrasound assisted extraction
The enhancement of extraction efficiency of organic
compounds by ultrasound is attributed to the pheomenon of
acoustic cavitation. They involve expansion and compression
cycles during travel in the medium. Expansion pulls molecules
apart and compression pushes them together. The expansion
can create bubbles in a liquid and produce negative pressure.
The bubbles form, grow and finally collapse. Close to a solid
boundary, cavity collapse is asymmetric and produces high-
speed jets of liquid. The liquid jets have strong impact on the
solid surface called acoustic cavitation.
24

25. 25
Types of sonication

26. 26
Commonly used ultrasonic systems

27. My expereinces
with UAE
Hence the final robust
optimum extraction conditions
for UAE was concluded to be
as: 70 min extraction time,
ethanol (80% v/v) as the
extracting solvent, particles
screened through sieve 20 and
solvent volume 20 ml.
Extraction
method
Extraction
time
Solvent
volume
R.S.D (%) Response
Maceration 24 hrs 50 ml 14.5 (n=5) 1.20
Soxhlet 4 hrs 100 ml 8.4 (n=5) 2.64
Stirring
extraction
UAE
24 hrs
70 min
50 ml
20 ml
12.1 (n=5)
4.9 (n=5)
1.56
3.96
27
Comparison

28. Solid phase extraction
28

29. Contributions towards developing Pharma Excellence
by the Pharmacognosy and Pytotherapy Reseach
Group
 Journal Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Analysis (Elsevier, Netherlands), 46(2): 322-327,
2008 [Impact Factor: 2.9].
 Planta Medica, 74(09): SL46, DOI: 10.1055/s-0028-1083926, 2008. [Impact Factor 2.15].
Cited in Pubmed, Science Citation Index (SCI), JCR, Scopus
 Natural Product Communications (USA), 4(8): 1047-1052, 2009 [Impact Factor: 1.2],
Cited in Pubmed, Science Citation Index Expanded, JCR, Scopus.
 Biochemical Engineering Journal (Elsevier), 50: 63-70, 2010 [Impact factor 2.6]
 Phytochemical Analysis (John Willey & Sons), DOI 10.1002/pca.2403 [Impact Factor 2.6].
 Phytochemical Analysis (John Willey & Sons), 20(6): 491-497, 2009 [Impact Factor 2.6].
Cited in Pubmed, Science Citation Index (SCI), JCR, Scopus.
 Patents: 02
 Books: 01
29

30. Updates
International Conference and Exhibition on Pharmacognosy,
Phytochemistry & Natural Products
Accelerating plant based drug discovery for safer drug development
Dates: October 21-23, 2013,
Venue: Hyderabad
 Plant Biotechnology and Tissue Culture
 Evaluation and Identification of Phytoconstituents
 Analytical Techniques in Phytochemistry
 Herbal Drugs and Formulations
 Drugs from Natural Sources
 Toxicology Studies of Plant Products
 Ethnopharmacology
 Phytochemistry and Phytoconstituents
 Industrial Pharmacognosy
 Natural products of medicinal interest
 Crude Drugs and Plant Poducts
 Ayurvedic System of Medicine
30

31. Registration fees (INR)
Upto January 24, Upto May 2, On October 21, 2013
 1 Students 1500 ` 2000 ` 2500
 2 Research Scholars 2000 ` 2500 ` 3000
 3 Faculty Members 4000 ` 5000 ` 6000
 4 Industry Professionals 6000 ` 7000 ` 8000
31

32. Job dates
 Faculty opening in BITS Pilani
 Faculty opening in Doon University
 Faculty opening in Central University of Punjab
 Staff and scientist opening at Rajib Gandhi center for
Biotechnology, Kerala
 Faculty opening at IEC Group of Institutions, greater
Noida
 SCIENTIFIC GROUP LEADER (FACULTY)
RECRUITMENT at CENTRE FOR DNA
FINGERPRINTING AND DIAGNOSTICS, Hyderabad
32

33. 33
Thank you