Indian Journal of Chemical Technology, Vol.19, No.6, 427-433, 2012
Experimental and modeling studies on extraction of amyrins from latex of mandar (Calotropis gigantea)
The effect of various process parameters, such as solvent, temperature, speed of agitation, and solid loading, on the percentage extraction of alpha-amyrin and beta-amyrin from the latex of Calotropis gigantea has been studied. Extraction of alpha-amyrin and beta-amyrin is performed with different solvents such as methanol, ethanol, propanol, and chloroform. Methanol is found to be the best solvent for both alpha-amyrin and beta-amyrin. As the temperature of the extraction increases, easy release of amyrin takes place, because of destruction of cellular structure of the matrix. The percentage extraction increases with the increase in speed of agitation. Assuming the flat geometry of the particles, the process has been modeled and the results are compared with experimental data at different experimental conditions. The values of energy of activation are obtained as 40.64 kJ/mol for alpha amyrin and 26.96 kJ/mol for beta amyrin.