Curcumin extracts from Curcuma Longa – Improvement of concentration, purity, and stability in food-approved and water-soluble surfactant-free microemulsions. (1st March 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Degot, Pierre; Huber, Verena; Touraud, Didier; Kunz, Werner
• Is Part Of: Food chemistry. Volume 339(2021)
• Publication Date: 2021-03-01
• Subjects: Ethanol (PubChem CID: 702) -- Triacetin (PubChem CID: 5541) -- Curcumin (PubChem CID: 969516) -- Demethoxycurcumin (PubChem CID: 5469424) -- Bisdemethoxycurcumin (PubChem CID: 5315472); Curcumin -- Surfactant-free microemulsions -- Extraction -- Green chemistry -- Food -- High purity -- Water-solubility; Food -- Analysis -- Periodicals; Food -- Composition -- Periodicals; 664
• DOI: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2020.128140
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0308-8146

Abstract

Highlights: Curcumin extracts can be enriched through multiple extraction cycles. The purity of the extracts can be enhanced by removal of essential oils. An extract purity of ~94% can be reached through lyophilization. Purified curcumin extracts can be diluted infinitely in water. Curcumin solutions are stable up to 5 months when retained in darkness. Abstract: Curcumin was extracted from Curcuma Longa employing a green, bio-based, and food-agreed surfactant-free microemulsion (SFME) consisting of water, ethanol, and triacetin. Concerning the high solubility of curcumin in the examined ternary mixtures, it was attempted to produce highly concentrated tinctures of up to a total of ~130 mg/mL curcuminoids in the solvent by repeatedly extracting fresh rhizomes in the same extraction mixture. The amount of water had a significant influence on the number of cycles that could be performed as well as on the extraction of the different curcuminoids. In addition, the purity of single extracts was enhanced to 94% by investigating several purification steps, e.g. vacuum distillation and lyophilization. Through purification before extraction, the water insoluble curcumin extract could be solubilized indefinitely in an aqueous environment. Additional stability tests showed that solutions of curcumin can be stable up to five months when concealed from natural light.