Study on extraction of Chlorophyll from AlternantheraSessilis (Linn.) : operating conditions and mass transfer,

Abstract

Chlorophyll is a widely used ingredient for various applications including medicines food supplements, cosmetics and and toiletries. It is extracted traditionally from alfalfa, spinach and algae. Altemanthera sessilis, commonly known as mukunuwenna available in Sri Lanka is proposed for the extraction of chlorophyll. The extraction was carried out using buffered 80% aqueous acetone. The optimum operating conditions; solvent to A. sessilis ratio, extraction temperature and extraction time were found to be 5 ml/g, 50°C and 45 minutes, respectively. The yield of chlorophyll a and chlorophyll h under the optimum operating conditions are 659 and 261 pg/g of A. sessilis respectively and comparison of results obtained on yield with the reported data is presented. Furthermore, the mass transfer from the solid to the solvent for various operating temperatures was modelled and validated with the experimental results.