Ultrasonic Assisted Extraction of Ferulic and p-Coumaric Acid using Hydrophobic Ionic Liquid 1-Butyl-3-methylimidazolium Hexafluorophosphate

Ferulic and p-coumaric acids are essential phenolic acids found in plants and have traditionally been extracted with organic solvents.However, solvent-based extraction is hazardous and can be inefficient.Ionic liquids offer a promising alternative due to their customizable properties, improved efficiency, and selectivity in extraction.In this study, p-coumaric and ferulic acids were successfully extracted using the ultrasonic-assisted extraction (UAE) method in the presence of hydrophobic ionic liquid.The study aimed to assess the impact of different important parameters on the extraction efficiency of p-coumaric acid and ferulic acid.Under optimal conditions, the temperature, pH, volume ratio of ionic liquid to acid, and extraction time for pcoumaric and ferulic acid were 60C, pH 2, 1: 1 v/v, and 3 mins, respectively, with an average extraction efficiency of more than 80% for both p-coumaric and ferulic acids.The optimal method achieved the maximum extraction efficiency in the shortest time compared to extraction using a conventional solvent.These findings indicate that an ionic liquid ultrasonic -assisted extraction (ILUAE) was an efficient method to reliably extract ferulic and p-coumaric acids in a reproducible and environmentally friendly manner.