ANVESAK

ISSN : 0378 – 4568 UGC Care Group 1 Journal

MICROWAVE EXTRACTION AND CHARACTERISATION OF TRIDEX PROCUMBENS

Ranjit Kumar Puse Rsearch Scholar, Chemistry, Barkatullah University, Bhopal

Dr. Anjali Acharya Professor ,Department of Chemistry, Institute of Excellence in Higher Education ,
Bhopal
Dr. Neelam Chopra, Professor, Department of Chemistry , Govt Bhel College Bhopal

Abstract:
Microave extraction is the most basic and cost-effective method for extracting various plant-derived
chemicals. Traditional extraction methods such as heating, boiling, or refluxing can be used to extract
plant material; however, the drawbacks include the loss of active ingredients owing to ionisation,
hydrolysis, and oxidation during extraction, as well as the lengthy extraction period. A microwave
extraction of various indigenous extracts in Tridex Procumbers has been attempted. The phytochemical
profile of these commonly utilised plants was considered in their selection. The plant material was
treated to serial solvent extraction utilising petroleum ether, chloroform, methanol, and water in the
current investigation. Similarly, drug granules were extracted using a microwave.
Keywords: Tridax Procumbens, Microwave Extraction, Extraction optimization, End time analysis,
Factor analysis, characterisation etc

Introduction
Tridex procumbens is a common hispid, procumbent plant that grows as a weed. T. procumbens is a
perennial plant that blooms and bears fruit all year. Based on the look of the flower, T. procumbens is
known as ‘Jayanti-veda' in Sanskrit, Tikki-kasa/'Ghamra' in Hindi, and ‘Wild daisy,' ‘Mexican daisy,'
and ‘Coat buttons' in English. Tridax procumbens is the scientific name. The generic name comes from
Greek and means "summer eating," signifying that it was a summer vegetable.
T.procumbens is a member of the kingdom Plantae, the sub-kingdom Tracheobionta, the division
Magnoliophyta–Dicotyledons, the class Magnoliopsida, the sub-class Asteridae, the order Asterales, the
family Asteraceae, the genus Tridax L., and the species procumbens.
T. procumbens is found in India up to 2400 m above sea level. The plant's leaves are used as raw feed
for cattle and as a food additive by humans. The leaves contain therapeutic properties and have been
used to cure catarrh, dysentery, and diarrhoea. The various leaf extracts are employed as antiseptics in
the treatment of new cuts, wounds, burns, and anaemia. It also has the capacity to promote hair growth.

Plant morphology and cytology

T. procumbens is a semi-prostrate, annual creeper herb with a branching, sparsely hairy stem that is
rooted at nodes. Simple, opposite, serrate or dentate, sharp, fleshy, pubescent, exstipulate, lanceolate to
ovate in form with 3-7 cm long, irregularly serrated margin with wedge shaped base, briefly petioled and
hairy on both surfaces. The leaves are dorsiventral, having a single-layered epidermis on both surfaces
and a thick cuticle. Upper epidermis has a single layered, multicellular covering trichome, and lower
epidermis has a single layered, elongated cell that is tightly packed. Calcium oxalate crystals can be seen
in the Xylem vessel. The shape of vascular bundles is concentric. Meristem is made up of a single,
centrally positioned collateral vascular bundle that is surrounded by parenchymatous cells.

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Fig. 1. (a) Tridax procumbens plant (b) Closer view of flower

Flowers are tubular in shape, golden in colour, and have hairs with a capitulum inflorescence. There are
two types of blooms on this plant: ray florets and disc florets with basal placentation.
Fruit is a rigid achene with stiff hairs and a feathery, plume-like white pappus at one end that aids in
aerial distribution. The heads are diverse, with lengthy peduncles that can reach a height of 2 feet. Ray
florets are female, having a ligulate corolla that is trifid and always pale-yellow in colour.
T. procumbens seeds germinate at warmer temperatures (35/25 and 30/20 °C) with 58 to 78 percent
light. These are extremely susceptible to salinity and water stress. In gametes, the chromosomal counts
are 36 (diploid) and 18 (haploid). Spreading stems and seed production are used for propagation..

Chemical composition
T. procumbens has high moisture content of 88.30 % in the stem and 90.05 % in leaf. It is rich in protein
with 37.44 % dry weight (4.38 % wet weight) in the stem and 34.57 % dry weight (3.44% wet weight) in
leaf. The total lipid and carbohydrate content in the stem is 0.85 % dry weight (0.1 % wet weight) and
41.03 % dry weight (4.80 % wet weight) respectively, and that in leaf is 6.03 % dry weight (0.6 % wet
weight) and 51.26 % dry weight (5.10 % wet weight) respectively. The crude fiber content is 16.41 %
dry weight (1.92 % wet weight) in stem and 6.13 % dry weight (0.61 % wet weight) in leaf. The
metabolizable energy per 100 g of T. procumbens is about 321.54 Kcal in dry weight (37.62 Kcal in
wet weight) for stem and 397.59 Kcal in dry weight (39.56 Kcal in wet weight) for leaf .
The plant is rich in minerals such as iron, copper, manganese, sodium and zinc and other trace minerals
such as magnesium, phosphorous, potassium, selenium and calcium. The aqueous extract contains
phytochemicals such as alkaloids, steroids, carotenoids, flavonoids (catechins and flavones), saponins
and tannins. While organic solvent extraction with ethyl acetate has flavonoids (centaureidin and
centaurein) and bergenin. Some of the 2° metabolites present are fatty acid derivatives, sterols, lipid
constituents, luteolin, glucoluteolin, quercetin, isoquercetin and fumaric acid.

Microwave Assisted Extraction

MAE is the most basic and cost-effective method for extracting various plant-derived chemicals.
Traditional extraction methods such as heating, boiling, or refluxing can be used to extract plant
material; however, the drawbacks include the loss of active ingredients owing to ionisation, hydrolysis,
and oxidation during extraction, as well as the lengthy extraction period. Other approaches, such as
ultrasonic aided extraction (UAE) and microwave aided extraction (MAE), have gained popularity as
alternatives to traditional procedures. Microwave extraction may be a better option than traditional
extraction. Microwave aided extraction necessitates less time, less solvents, a greater extraction rate, and

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higher quality products with minimal loss. There is less chance of phytoconstituent breakdown and
oxidation. An effort was made to employ microwave for extraction of Tridex procumbens, which were
submitted to serial solvent extraction using petroleum ether, chloroform, methanol, water, and so on.
The powders of both medications were exposed to microwave extraction. The findings were considered
to be encouraging enough to warrant additional research.
The extraction and characterisation of various active phyto-compounds from these green Tridex
procumbens has resulted in the development of certain medicines with high activity profiles. Because
the creation of crude extracts from plants is the beginning point for the separation and purification of
chemical components contained in plants, extraction is the first fundamental step in medicinal plant
research. Extraction is a critical step in the analytical process for attaining full recovery of target
chemicals. Traditional solvent extraction procedures for plant materials are largely focused on the
optimal solvent selection and the application of heat or/and agitation to increase the solubility of the
targeted chemicals and promote mass transfer. Typically, the old approach necessitates a longer
extraction period, putting most phyto-constituents at danger of heat destruction.
The fact that a single plant can contain up to several thousand secondary metabolites necessitates the
development of high performance and quick extraction technologies. Keeping up with such demands,
recent years have seen the development and expansion of novel extraction procedures with shorter
extraction durations, lower solvent usage, enhanced pollution prevention concern, and specific
consideration for thermolabile elements. In the recent decade, novel extraction technologies such as
microwave aided extraction (MAE), supercritical fluid extraction (SCFE), and pressurised solvent
extraction (PSE) have received substantial study interest. If these procedures are thoroughly
investigated, they may prove to be an efficient extraction methodology for assuring the quality of herbal
medications globally. Among all traditional procedures, Soxhlet extraction has received the highest
respect. It performs two functions: (a) as an extraction step for isolating phyto-constituents, and (b) as a
well-established model for comparing novel extraction options. One of the biggest drawbacks of Soxhlet
extraction is the extended extraction period, which might be 8, 16, 24 hours or more, resulting in
substantial time and heat energy consumption. Because of the longer time need, it is more labour-
intensive and restricts the number of samples that can be processed, which may not be considered from a
commercial standpoint. The use of a considerable number of organic solvents necessitates an additional
recovery stage and subsequent evaporation to concentrate the extract, resulting in a more time-
consuming procedure that is also harmful to the environment. As a result, microwave extraction of
phyto-constituents opens up a wide range of study possibilities. Potential natural anticancer medicines
such as vincristine, vinblastine, and taxol are good examples. Given the limitations of traditional
extraction, an attempt has been made to perform MAS on Tridex procumbens extracts.
MAE is the most basic and cost-effective method for extracting various plant-derived chemicals. Not
only does the shorter period save money, but it also reduces the danger of phytoconstituent breakdown
and oxidation. Microwave would be a preferable solution for heat sensitive goods. Plant cells are
breaking up at a much faster rate. The dielectric characteristics of the plant influence microwave
penetration into plant tissues. The energy required by dense materials is more than that required by
leaves. The energy required can be better regulated than with traditional extraction. Microwave
extraction of many herbal medications such as gention roots, calendula flowers, and neem has proved
effective. The microwave's ability to improve product recovery is typically attributed to its heating
impact, which happens owing to the dipole rotation of the solvent in the microwave field. This raises the
temperature of the solvent, increasing the solubility of the component of interest. Solvent heating by
microwave happens when molecules of a polar solvent are unable to align themselves rapidly enough to
the microwave's high frequency electric field. Because of this difference, the solvent molecules waste

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the received energy in the form of heat. Despite this, no reports on Tridex procumbens MAE have been
reported.

MATERIALS AND METHODS:

Materials:
The leaves of Tridex procumbens was obtained from the Amarkantak region of Madhya pradseh, India.
Plant material was authenticated by Dr. G.G. Potdar, Department of Botany, University of Jammu of
J&K UT.
Apparatus and chemicals:
Oven (Catalyst microwave synthesis system) LR grade solvents were used for extraction.
Apparatus and chemicals:
Microwave oven (Catalyst scientific microwave synthesis system) LR grade solvents were used for
extraction.
Microwave assisted extraction:
10 gm of powders of both the drugs were separately taken in 250 ml reaction flask and were subjected to
microwave irradiation. The different parameters are selected such as time and intensity. Trial and Error
method was followed to set time and intensity. At first the time set was 5 mins and increased by +5min
till 30mins. Side by side reaction was monitored till colourless solvent was obtained in reflux flask. The
intensity was not fixed but checked for 140 W, 210W, 245W, 280W, 350W, 420W, 455W, 490W,
560W, 700W for allextracts but the extraction was stopped when vigorous boiling started. The extracts
were concentrated and weighed to calculate % yield. The extracts obtained by conventional as well as
microwave assisted extraction were subjected to preliminary phytochemical screening.The presence of
phytoconstituents was confirmed by thin layer chromatography.

RESULTS:
In certain circumstances, the yield achieved through microwave aided extraction was higher than that
achieved from traditional extraction, while the time required for microwave aided extraction was
substantially shorter. Both techniques of extraction yielded the same hue and consistency. Microwave
aided extraction in Tridex procumbens yielded better results when the intensity was set at 210W. All
alternative intensities were tested using a trial and error method, and the intensity that produced a
consistent reaction was chosen, but high intensities were avoided since they harmed secondary plant
metabolites. Thus, in the instance of this herbal plant, the intensity was preset but the time was not, but it
was halted when the solvent began to boil vigorously.
Table1: Microwave assisted extraction of Tridex procumbens
Sr.No Solvent Tridex procumbens
Microwave assisted extraction
Colour and Watt Power Time % Yield
consistency (W) (%) (mins)
1 Pet.Ether Yellow 210 30 25 15.2
semisolid
mass
2 Chloroform Reddish 210 30 20 16.0
brown
powder
3 Methanol Brown 210 30 20 8.2
semisolid
mass

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4 Water Brown 210 30 25 13.2
semisolid
mass
Table 2: Microwave assisted extraction of Tridex procumbens
Sr.No Solvent Tridex procumbens
Microwave assisted extraction
Colour and Watt Power Time % Yield
consistency (W) (%) (mins)
1 n-Hexane Light 245 35 17 12
Yellow
semisolid
mass
2 Dichloromethane Dark yellow 245 35 15 15
non sticky
mass
3 Chloroform Brownish 245 35 18 9.2
semisolid
mass
4 Acetone Brown 245 35 17 8.1
semisolid
mass
5 Ethanol Brown 245 35 17 9.0
semisolid
mass
6 Water Brown 245 35 20 7.0
sticky mass

DISCUSSION:
Microwave energy for heating has been in commercial use since 1950. The hallmark of microwave
extraction (MAE) is accelerated dissolution kinetics as a consequence of the rapid heating processes that
occur when a microwave field is applied to a sample. It has gained acceptance as a mild and controllable
processing tool. The main advantages of MAE are shorter extraction times (typically 15 minutes),
shorter cooling times (2 minutes) and less use of solvent (10 mL for MAE versus 250 mL for
Soxhlet).The encouraging results were observed in microwave extraction as compared to conventional
extraction. In case of both drugs, better results were seen with reference to % yield at medium intensity
and time. The drastic reduction in extraction time results in a higher sample throughput without
significant losses in analyte recovery. MAE is a viable candidate for performing extractions due to its
applicability over a wide range of sample types because the selectivity can be easily manipulated by
altering solvent polarities. Hence, it is necessary to carry out further study for separation of active
constituents and its pharmacological activity.

CONCLUSION
T. procumbens is a major medicinal plant used since before recorded history in both organized
(Ayurveda, Unani) and unorganized (folks, tribal, indigenous) traditional medicine practices. The
Recent technological invention in identifying, isolating and validating active principles from medicinal
plants has gained importance as these may provide an excellent source of lead molecules for the
treatment of various disease conditions. In this context, T. procumbens appears to be a very promising

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medicinal plant containing many active molecules evident by its vast medicinal and pharmacological
properties. This review provides comprehensive information about the therapeutic, toxicological and
clinical value of T. procumbens. Though studies have identified the clinical potential of different parts of
the plants, there still needs a scientific basis for the medicinal use of this plant.

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