Eutectic solvents for the extraction of phenolic compounds from the Moldovan Dragonhead

Introduction. Deep eutectic solvents (DES) are of interest to modern pharmaceutical technology as alternative extractants to traditional organic solvents. The prospects for their use are due to low toxicity, biodegradability, the possibility of selective extraction of individual substances and regeneration of the extractant. The purpose of the study is to develop and optimize a technology for ultrasonic extraction of phenolic acids from the Moldovan dragonhead using DES, and to study the antioxidant activity of the resulting extracts. Results. 11 DES compositions with different molar ratios of components were obtained; the optimal composition one was selected based on choline and lactic acid in a molar ratio of 1:3. The dependence of the extraction of phenolic compounds on the composition of DES, the influence of water content in the composition of DES on the process of extraction of phenolic compounds have been studied. Data were obtained on the antioxidant activity of the Moldavian snakehead extract obtained using DES. Conclusion. A method has been developed for the extraction of phenolic acids from the Moldavian snakehead with deep eutectic solvents. The extraction efficiency of the DES-3 mixture based on choline chloride and lactic acid in a molar ratio of 1:3 has been proven. The content of phenolic compounds in terms of rosmarinic acid was 7.72±0.12%, which is 0.23% more than when using 50% ethyl alcohol as an extractant. Using cyclic voltammetry, it was established that the antioxidant activity of extracts obtained using DES is due to the content of rosmarinic acid.