Development of a fluidic system for efficient extraction of mulberry leaves polysaccharide using induced electric fields.

A multi-series fluidic system based on the transformer concept was designed and built for the induced-electric-field-assisted extraction (IEFAE) of mulberry leaves polysaccharides (MLPs). Extraction was accelerated by exposing a secondary coil, made from a flowing mixture of sample grains and extractant, to a 20–80 kHz induced alternating electric field. The results indicate that this method benefits the release of polysaccharides without significantly affecting the quality of the products as evidenced by carbohydrate, protein, uronic acid, sulfuric radical and total polyphenol contents as well as average molecular weights and FT-IR . The polysaccharide yield improved as the excitation voltage increased, but the voltage frequency had a negative impact on the yield. At a solid-liquid ratio of 1:20 (g/mL), pH of 2.5, 60 °C temperature, 1000 V excitation voltage, and 20 kHz frequency, the 16-series system is performed optimally with a yield increased by 225.95% compared to the control (0 V). The relatively low environmental pH is conducive to extraction under the electric field, making the proposed system efficient for the extraction of valuable compounds without using metal electrode. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]