Effect of Process Parameters of Microwave Assisted Extraction (MAE) on Polysaccharides Yield from Pumpkin

Process parameters of microwave assisted extraction (MAE) of the polysaccharides from pumpkin viz. extraction temperature, time and liquid-solid ratio were studied by using single factor and response surface methodology method. The results showed that the liquid-solid ratio was the most important factor in polysaccharides yield, followed by extraction time, and the extraction temperature was the least important factor. The optimum microwave assisted extraction conditions for the highest polysaccharides yield from pumpkin (16.76%±0.38%) were obtained by using the response surface methodology with extraction time of 29 min, an extraction temperature of 79°C and a liquid-solid ratio of 22 mL · g−1. Validation experiment result well agreed with predicted value.