STUDIA UBB CHEMIA, LXII, 3, 2017 (p. 45-56) (RECOMMENDED CITATION) DOI:10.24193/subbchem.2017.3.04 In memory of prof. dr. Simion Gocan COMPARISON OF DIFFERENT EXTRACTION TECHNIQUES FOR THE EVALUATION OF POLYPHENOLS CONTENT IN SUMMER SAVORY EXTRACTS DORINA CASONI a , NELI OLAH b, c , LOREDANA SORAN d SIMONA CODRUTA AURORA COBZAC a * ABSTRACT. Efficiency of conventional solvent extraction (maceration and normal refluxing) and novel extraction techniques (ultrasound-assisted extraction-UAE and microwave-assisted extraction-MAE) were compared in order to obtain an enhanced content of total flavonoid, total phenolic compounds and rosmarinic acid from the Satureja hortensis L. (Summer savory) herb. Different mixtures of ethanol-water ratio were used for extraction of these compounds from dry plant material. High level of total flavonoid content was determined for a solvent system consisted of 40% respectively 50% ethanol (extraction systems ES6 and ES5) while the most efficient techniques were normal refluxing (R) and ultrasound-assisted extraction when sweep mode (UAE1) was selected. For the same solvent systems (ES6 and ES5), a high content of total phenolic compounds was determined when the normal refluxing (R) and microwave-assisted extraction (MAE1, with a duty coefficient of 40% and microwave action time1 min) were used for the extraction procedure. For the rosmarinic acid extraction, the maceration technique (M) combined with an ethanol-water system consisted of 60% ethanol (ES4) was found as the most efficient procedure. Keywords: Satureja hortensis L., flavonoids, phenolic compounds, rosmarinic acid, maceration, reflux extraction, ultrasound assisted extraction, microwave assisted extraction a Babeş-Bolyai University, Faculty of Chemstry and Chemical Engineering 11 Arany Janos Street, RO-400028, Cluj-Napoca, Romania b PlantExtract, Radaia, Cluj-Napoca, Romania c Vasile Goldiș Western University from Arad, Faculty of Pharmacy, 86 L. Rebreanu Street, 310414 Arad, Romania d National Institute for Research and Development of Isotopic and Molecular Technologies, 65–103 Donath Street, 400293, Cluj-Napoca, Romania * Corresponding author: codruta.cobzac@yahoo.com