Effect of processing parameters and heating techniques on the extraction yield of Eurycoma Longifolia (Tongkat Ali)

Abstract

This paper is focused on the effects of processing parameters such as particle size of sample (300-700 µm), ratio of sample to solvent (10:1, 20:1, 30:1 and 40:1), temperature (50-90°C) and time (30-150 min) of processing on the extraction yield of Eurycoma Longifolia (Tongkat Ali) roots in conventional thermal heating and microwave assisted extraction techniques. The extracted components from both heating techniques then dried using freeze drying method in order to quantitatively relate the yield to the processing parameters. The experimental results revealed that the processing parameters; particle size of sample, ratio of sample to solvent, temperature and time of extraction had significant effects on the extraction yield of Eurycoma Longifolia roots. Moreover, microwave heating extraction produced a slightly higher yield (~1.2 % in average) and provided 10 times faster in heating-up the extraction mixture to the processing temperature compared to conventional thermal heating extraction.