Cyclodextrin-aided green extraction from Fagopyrum esculentum Moench – an effective strategy for the sustainable recovery of polyphenols

As a rich source of polyphenolic compounds, Fagopyrum esculentum Moench herb, is a valuable subject for a numerous industries, such as pharmaceutical, chemical, food, or cosmetic. Given the biological potential that is closely related to the polyphenolic content, this study aimed to develop ecologically suitable cyclodextrin-aided extraction from the aerial parts of F. esculentum. To maximize the polyphenolic content, highly reliable mathematical and statistical method – response surface methodology(RSM) was used for the evaluation of crucial extraction parameters: temperature, extraction time, concentrations of ethanol and two types of cyclodextrins (β-cyclodextrin (β-CD), and (2-hydroxypropyl)-β-cyclodextrin (HP-β-CD)). While temperature and ethanol concentration significantly influenced the total phenolic content (TPC) in both models, the impact of cyclodextrin concentration was observed when HP-β-CD was used. According to the RSM analysis, optimal conditions for the maximization of TPC were noted for the extraction at 80 °C for 40 min, using 50% ethanol and 1.50% HP -β-CD. Thus, under optimized extraction conditions, the measured TPC was 42.16 ± 1.01 mg GAE/g DW, among rutin was the most abundant with content of 29.55 mg/g DW, followed by the quercetin and quercitrin in slightly scarcer content. This study confirmed that cyclodextrin-aided extraction is an ecologically friendly, effective method for the recovery of F. esculentum polyphenolics.