Effect of Ethanol Concentration, Solvent-to-Solid Ratio, and Ultrasonic Extraction Time on the Total Phenolic Content of Euphorbia hirta Leaves

Authors

  • Alfina Nurrahman Universitas Duta Bangsa Surakarta
  • Adnan Nur Aviv Politeknik Indonusa
  • Wahyu Purwanjani Universitas An Nuur

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.47701/fedw6g37

Keywords:

Euphorbia hirta, ultrasonic-assisted extraction, total phenolic content, ethanol concentration, Box–Behnken design

Abstract

Euphorbia hirta is a medicinal plant containing phenolic compounds with potential antioxidant and pharmacological activities. The efficiency of phenolic compound extraction is strongly influenced by extraction conditions, particularly solvent concentration, solvent-to-solid ratio, and extraction time. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of ethanol concentration, solvent-to-solid ratio, and ultrasonic extraction time on the total phenolic content (TPC) of Euphorbia hirta leaves. Ultrasonic-assisted extraction was optimized using a Box–Behnken design with three independent variables: solvent-to-solid ratio (5–15 g/mL), ethanol concentration (50–96%), and extraction time (5–15 min). Total phenolic content was determined using the Folin–Ciocalteu method and expressed as mg gallic acid equivalent (GAE) per gram of extract. Based on the simulated experimental data, TPC values ranged from 166.82 ± 1.62 to 206.17 ± 1.18 mg GAE/g extract. The highest TPC was obtained at a solvent-to-solid ratio of 10 g/mL, ethanol concentration of 73%, and extraction time of 10 min, with a TPC of 206.17 ± 1.18 mg GAE/g extract. The results indicate that extraction conditions significantly influence the recovery of phenolic compounds from E. hirta leaves. The application of ultrasonic-assisted extraction combined with Box–Behnken design provides an effective approach for optimizing phenolic compound extraction from E. hirta..

References

Shi, L., Zhao, W., Yang, Z., Subbiah, V., & Suleria, H. A. R. (2022). Extraction and characterization of phenolic compounds and their potential antioxidant activities. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 29(54), 81112-81129.

Khursheed, A., & Jain, V. (2022). Euphorbia hirta as a gold mine of high-value phytochemicals: A comprehensive review of its pharmacological activities and possible role against SARS-CoV-2. Biomedical Research and Therapy, 9(2), 4930-4949.

Kumar, K., Srivastav, S., & Sharanagat, V. S. (2021). Ultrasound assisted extraction (UAE) of bioactive compounds from fruit and vegetable processing by-products: A review. Ultrasonics sonochemistry, 70, 105325.

Anaya-Esparza, L. M., Aurora-Vigo, E. F., Villagrán, Z., Rodríguez-Lafitte, E., Ruvalcaba-Gómez, J. M., Solano-Cornejo, M. Á., ... & González-Silva, N. (2023). Design of experiments for optimizing ultrasound-assisted extraction of bioactive compounds from plant-based sources. Molecules, 28(23), 7752.

Szpisják-Gulyás, N., Al-Tayawi, A. N., Horváth, Z. H., László, Z., Kertész, S., & Hodúr, C. J. A. A. (2023). Methods for experimental design, central composite design and the Box–Behnken design, to optimise operational parameters: A review. Acta Alimentaria, 52(4), 521-537.

Ermi Hikmawanti, N. P., Fatmawati, S., & Asri, A. W. (2021, April). The effect of ethanol concentrations as the extraction solvent on antioxidant activity of Katuk (Sauropus androgynus (L.) Merr.) leaves extracts. In IOP conference series: Earth and environmental science (Vol. 755, No. 1, p. 012060). IOP Publishing.

Lordifard, T., & Aboonajmi, M. (2026). The process of ultrasonic irradiation for enhancing the extraction of bioactive compounds from different products: a review. Green Chemistry Letters and Reviews, 19(1), 2707000.

Mahmoud, B. S., & McConville, C. (2023). Box–Behnken design of experiments of polycaprolactone nanoparticles loaded with irinotecan hydrochloride. Pharmaceutics, 15(4), 1271.

Das, K., Asdaq, S. M. B., Khan, M. S., Amrutha, S., Alamri, A., Alhomrani, M., ... & Harshitha, P. (2022). Phytochemical investigation and evaluation of in vitro anti-inflammatory activity of Euphorbia hirta ethanol leaf and root extracts: A comparative study. Journal of King Saud University-Science, 34(7), 102261.

Castillo-Correa, M., Montalbán-Hernández, C., Navarro-Hortal, M. D., Peña-Guzmán, D., Badillo-Carrasco, A., Varela-López, A., ... & Romero Márquez, J. M. (2025). Exploring the influence of extraction methods, solvents, and temperature on total phenolic recovery and antioxidant capacity in olive leaf extracts: A systematic review with quantitative synthesis. Separations, 12(9), 236.

Ziani, I., Bouakline, H., Yahyaoui, M. I., Belbachir, Y., Fauconnier, M. L., Asehraou, A., ... & El Bachiri, A. (2023). The effect of ethanol/water concentration on phenolic composition, antioxidant, and antimicrobial activities of Rosmarinus tournefortii de Noé hydrodistillation solid residues. Journal of Food Measurement and Characterization, 17(2), 1602-1615.

Ramesh, M. M., Shankar, N. S., & Venkatappa, A. H. (2024). Driving/Critical Factors Considered During Extraction to Obtain Bioactive Enriched Extracts. Pharmacognosy Reviews, 18(35), 68.

Bhadange, Y. A., Carpenter, J., & Saharan, V. K. (2024). A comprehensive review on advanced extraction techniques for retrieving bioactive components from natural sources. ACS omega, 9(29), 31274.

Chen, J., Bi, J., & Zhou, M. (2025). Optimizing ultrasonic-assisted extraction of peach gum polysaccharide: Balancing yield and bioactivity through response surface methodology and structural insights. Carbohydrate Polymers, 124567.

Singh, T., Pandey, V. K., Singh, R., Dash, K. K., Kovács, B., & Mukarram, S. A. (2024). Ultrasound assisted extraction of phytochemicals from Piper betel L. Ultrasonics Sonochemistry, 106, 106894.

Expósito-Almellón, X., Munguía-Ubierna, Á., Duque-Soto, C., Borrás-Linares, I., Quirantes-Piné, R., & Lozano-Sánchez, J. (2025). Optimized ultrasound-assisted extraction for enhanced recovery of valuable phenolic compounds from olive by-products. Antioxidants, 14(8), 938

Downloads

Published

2026-09-26