Enhanced extraction of patchouli alcohol from Pogostemon cablin by microwave radiation-accelerated ionic liquid pretreatment

A microwave radiation-accelerated ionic liquid pretreatment (MRAILP) was developed to enhance extraction of patchouli alcohol from Pogostemon cablin. 1-N-butyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride ([C4mim]Cl) was selected as microwave absorbing and cellulose dissolution medium and microwave was applied to accelerate sample dissolution. The conditions of MRAILP including particle size, solvent, microwave pretreatment time and power and the ratio of ionic liquid (IL) to sample were optimized. Under the optimized conditions, the extraction yield of patchouli alcohol by the MRAILP was 1.94%, which has increased by 166% compared with microwave-assisted extraction. The recovery was in the range of 95.71–103.7% with relative standard deviation lower than 3.0%. It was a novel alternative extraction method for the fast extraction and determination of patchouli alcohol from Pogostemon cablin.

► 1-N-butyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride as cell wall dissolution medium. ► Microwave accelerates sample dissolution. ► Microwave radiation-accelerated ionic liquid pretreatment can be used as a potential alternative method for the pretreatment of medicinal plants.