Enrichment of patchouli alcohol in patchouli oil by aiding sonication in hydrotropic extraction

• Published in: Industrial crops and products 2020-12, Vol.158, p.113011, Article 113011
• Main Authors: Jain, Preeti L.B., Patel, Sanjaykumar R., Desai, Meghal A.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Essential oil; Hydrotropy; Patchouli alcohol; Sodium cumene sulphonate; Sonication
• ISSN: 0926-6690; 1872-633X
• DOI: 10.1016/j.indcrop.2020.113011

[Display omitted] •Patchouli alcohol a key constituent of patchouli essential oil.•Synergistic effect of sonication and hydrotropic extraction was explored.•Patchouli alcohol content increased from 33.13 % to 96.12 %.•Sodium cumene sulphonate has provided a better enrichment.•A scale up study has shown promising results. Patchouli alcohol, a tricyclic sesquiterpene, is a vital component of patchouli essential oil which is primarily isolated from the aerial part of Pogostemon cablin and is majorly used in fragrance industries. An intensified technique of hydrotropy coupled with sonication was investigated to enhance the purity of patchouli alcohol in patchouli oil using four different hydrotropes viz., resorcinol, p-toluene sulphonic acid, sodium salicylate, and sodium cumene sulphonate. The influence of various parameters namely sonication time (5 and 15 min), ultrasound amplitude (20–40 %), and pulse ratio (10:50 and 30:30 s) over varying concentration of hydrotropic solution (0.2–2 M) on the patchouli alcohol content was assessed using parametric study. Amongst the four hydrotropes, sodium cumene sulphonate has provided the highest purity (96.12 %) of patchouli alcohol for 0.2 M concentration, 15 min sonication time, 40 % amplitude, and 30:30 s pulse ratio against 33.13 % in pure oil. Hydrotropy combined with ultrasound treatment has enriched the composition of patchouli alcohol in patchouli oil to a larger extent when compared with hydrotropic extraction without sonication. Further, a scale-up study has provided promising outcomes suggesting a suitable alternative technique as a sustainable solution.