A Novel and Simple Approach for Extraction and Isolation of Curcuminoids from Turmeric Rhizomes Harshal Ashok Pawar * , Amit Jagannath Gavasane and Pritam Dinesh Choudhary Department of Quality Assurance, Dr. L.H. Hiranandani College of Pharmacy, Ulhasnagar, Maharashtra, India * Corresponding author: Pawar HA, Department of Quality Assurance, Dr. L. H. Hiranandani College of Pharmacy, Ulhasnagar, Maharashtra, India, Tel: +91-8097148638; E-mail: harshal.dlhhcop@gmail.com Received: November 20, 2017; Accepted: December 21, 2017; Published: January 02, 2018 Copyright: © 2018 Pawar HA, et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Abstract Turmeric (Curcuma longa L. Family: Zingiberaceae) is a widely cultivated spice in India and other Asian countries. Curcumin is the main coloring substance in Curcuma longa and two related compounds, demethoxycurcumin and bisdemethoxycurcumin are altogether known as curcuminoids. Turmeric is rich in curcuminoids, and recognized for their broad spectrum of biological activities. During isolation and purification of curcuminoids from oleo resin, the volatile oil present turmeric solubilizes curcumin creating problem in recrystallization process. To eliminate the interference of volatile oil and resolve the problem recrystallization, the present research work was undertaken. Various organic solvents and their combinations were tried for selective recrystallization of curcuminoids. Mixture of hot isopropyl alcohol: hexane (1:1.5) was found to be the best recrystallization solvent for purification of curcuminoids. The identity of curcuminoids was further confirmed by thin layer chromatography (TLC) and Fourier Transform Infra-Red spectroscopy (FTIR). The total curcumin content of crude curcuminoid powder was found to be 76.82% W/W whereas in recrystallized powder the purity was increased to 99.45% W/W. Keywords: Turmeric; Extraction; Recrystallization; Curcuminoids Introduction Curcumin is a liposoluble compound and can be easily dissolved into organic solvent such as methanol, ethanol, and acetone. However, poor water solubility ofen limits its biomedical uses using aqueous systems. Tis observation prompted us to examine turmeric extracts as a delivery system for curcumin and to examine the possibility of turmeric extract itself as candidate agent for pharmacologic evaluation. In this preliminary study, we used diferent solvents to extract the crude turmeric material and compared the curcumin concentrations in these extracts [1]. Te choice of solvents for extraction is restricted to the few solvents of defned purity allowed by national and international food laws in the processing of food materials. Hexane, acetone, alcohol (ethanol, methanol), isopropanol and ethyl acetate are used in the extraction of oleoresins of spices. From consideration of solubility of active constituents, the curcuminoids are poorly soluble in the hydrocarbon solvents. Alcohol and acetone are good extractants and the yields can also be expected to be high because of extraction of non-favor components. Soxhlet extraction of turmeric powder with acetone gave a yield of about 4.1% containing in 3 hours. Acetone as solvent was slightly superior to alcohol and ethyl acetate, the curcuminoids content also is on the high side, suggesting selective extraction. Te results of extraction with acetone have, however been reported to give high yields of curcuminoids than alcoholic and remaining extraction [2]. During isolation and purifcation of curcumin from oleo resin, the volatile oil present turmeric solubilizes curcumin creating problem in recrystallization process. To eliminate the interference of volatile oil and resolve the problem recrystallization, the present research work was undertaken. Material and Methods Chemicals and reagents Pure Curcumin (Purity=97%, Batch No. K085/0241110IX30) was purchased from High Purity Laboratory Chemicals Pvt. Ltd., Mumbai, India. All the chemicals and reagents used were of analytical reagent grade. Collection and processing of plant material Turmeric rhizomes were collected from Maharashtra region, India. Te plant specimen was authenticated by Dr. Rajendra D. Shinde, Associate Professor, Department of Botany, St. Xavier’s College, Mumbai-400 001 as Curcuma longa L. (Family: Zingiberaceae). Te plant specimen matches with the Blatter Herbarium specimen no. B.R-469 of B. Rukmini Bai. Te collected rhizomes were boiled in water for about 30 minutes and then dried under sunlight. Te dried rhizomes were size reduced and shifed through mesh of fne size. Extraction of oleoresin Turmeric rhizome powder was extracted with ethyl acetate in a soxhlet assembly until all the colouring matter is extracted. Te obtained crude extract was concentrated to semisolid brown coloured mass. Extraction of crude curcuminoids from oleo resin One gram of crude extract was added to 25 mL of Hexane and kept aside for 12 hrs. Afer 12 hrs, the solution with lump of crude extract was stirred using magnetic stirrer at 600 rpm for 3 hrs. During the stirring at one point the lump was broken into small fragment and fnally reduced to powder. Te suspended lump powder was separated by centrifugation and dried in oven at 40°C. Te obtained crude N a t u r a l P r o d u c t s C h e m i s t r y & R e s e a r c h ISSN: 2329-6836 Natural Products Chemistry & Research Pawar et al., Nat Prod Chem Res 2018, 6:1 DOI: 10.4172/2329-6836.1000300 Research Article Open Access Nat Prod Chem Res, an open access journal ISSN: 2329-6836 Volume 6• Issue 1 • 1000300