Comparison of Alkaloid Yield Obtained using Conventional and Ultrasound-assisted Extraction from Chromolaena odorata

Abstract

Chromolaena odorata or commonly known as 'Pokok Kapal Terbang' in Malaysia is a medicinal plant that has many important bioactive compounds for human health. In this study, berberine, one of the alkaloid compounds, was investigated. Berberine is famous for its broad range of bioactivities such as anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antidiabetic, and antiulcer. The main purpose of this study is to evaluate and compare the effects of two extraction methods on berberine yield from the whole plant of Chromolaena odorata. The extraction process was carried out using the conventional method which is maceration and non-conventional extraction using ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE). UAE is known to be an environmentally green extraction method and is expected to have a high extract yield, shorter time, and eco-friendly extraction technologies compared to a conventional method. Comparison between both methods was done at different extraction times (20-60 minutes). First, phytochemical screening was performed to observe the presence of berberine yield. Next, berberine concentration was measured using High-Performance Liquid Chromatography Diode Array Detector (HPLC/DAD) at gradient system, and the surface morphology was observed using FESEM. HPLC analysis showed that maximum berberine yield was obtained with the extraction yield of 2.7228% at 40 min for UAE, while only 0.2193% at 60 min for the conventional method. From the FESEM image, a small rupture was observed from the conventional sample, while a large perforation can be seen from the UAE sample. The larger perforation supported the idea that more cells were ruptured to release more yields. This finding showed the effectiveness of the UAE method in extracting berberine from Chromolaena odorata.