KINETIC MODELLING OF ULTRASOUND-ASSISTED EXTRACTION OF PHENOLIC COMPOUNDS FROM NEEM

Polyphenols are the plant secondary metabolites that function as anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and antimicrobial compounds. These compounds possess high antioxidant activity due to their chemical structure. Recently, it was investigated that there is potential for the use of polyphenols as antiviral agents to inhibit the development of coronavirus disease. Hence, the extraction of phenolic compounds is essential. Ultrasound-assisted extraction is a novel extraction technique that is used for the recovery of phenolic compounds from neem leaves. The effect of temperature (30 - 60 o C) and methanol-water composition (25 – 100 % v/v) was studied. The highest yield of polyphenols, 25.016 mg GAE/g of plant material, was achieved at 60 °C. The kinetics of ultrasound-assisted polyphenol extraction were well described by the Peleg model, showing a strong agreement between experimental and calculated data, as indicated by low root mean squared error values.