EXTRACTION OF PHENOLIC COMPOUNDS IN HERB MATTE USING IONIC LIQUID 2-HYDROXYETHANOLAMINE ACETATE

Mate Herb has a high amount of bioactive compounds in its composition, among these compounds are the phenolic compounds, which help in the oxidative processes that occur in the human organism. Ionic liquids have advantages in extracting these compounds, such as high efficiency and being a sustainable solvent. Moreover, it is a reagent that is based on the principles of green chemistry. The objective of this work was to evaluate the effect of parameters such as extraction temperature, particle size, solvent concentration and stirring speed on the extraction of phenolic compounds present in Mate Herb using as solvent the 2-hydroxyethanolamine acetate ionic liquid. This solvent was elaborated from the reaction of acetic acid with monoethanolamine. The phenolic compounds extraction was evaluated by a central composite rotational design (CCRD) to verify the influence of the extraction temperature (20 to 80 ºC), particle size of yerba mate (40 to 120 mesh), solvent concentration (0 to 100%) and stirring speed (20 to 180 rpm). In order to perform experiments, 2 g of mate herb were put into contact with 20 mL of extractor solution. The mixtures have been stirred on a shaker at constant controlled temperature for 5 hours. Afterwards, the samples were centrifuged and stored in amber flasks. The analysis of phenolic compounds was performed by the Folin-Ciocauteau method, and the absorbance of the reaction mixture was measured in microplate spectrophotometer at 765 nm. The results obtained through surface curves showed that the stirring speed, extraction temperature and solvent concentration significantly influenced the phenolic compounds extraction. The range studied for particle size of the mate herb showed no significant difference in the phenolic compounds extraction. Thus, the experimental design indicated optimal parameters for the studied effects.