Effect of operational variables on the extraction of compounds with antioxidant capacity from chicory roots

Polyphenol solvent extraction from vegetable matrices has gained significant importance in various sectors, including food, pharmaceuticals, and agro-industries. This research focuses on the experimental design of Batch extraction procedures for obtaining polyphenols from dried and milled chicory roots. Air-forced and vacuum-drying techniques were employed to dry fresh chicory roots. The research examined the impact of operational variables on obtaining extracts from dried chicory roots. We developed a comprehensive mathematical model using diffusion transfer principles, taking into account various operational factors. We integrated the model into the optimization tool General Algebraic Modeling System (GAMS) and subsequently validated it through experimentation. The results demonstrated strong agreement between the theoretical and experimental data, with satisfactory values for both the root mean square error and correlation coefficients. The optimal extraction conditions that yielded maximum outputs were 50ºC temperature, 1.10 m s-1 agitation speed, 50% ethanol concentration, and 20 ml solvent per gram of flour. Moreover, we observed higher diffusivity coefficients for polyphenolic compounds and lower activation energy values for extracts derived from vacuum-dried chicory root flour at 60ºC and 25 mm Hg pressure. Overall, the proposed mathematical model effectively predicted the described behavior with satisfactory accuracy.