Effect of solvent polarity on the extraction of bioactive compounds from Heracleum persicum fruits

The selection of appropriate solvents is crucial for determining both the composition and quantity of secondary metabolites extracted from medicinal plants. This study investigates the influence of solvent polarity on the extraction yield and phytochemical profile of Heracleum persicum fruits. Various solvents were tested as extragents, including polar (methanol, ethanol, acetone, acetonitrile), non-polar (hexane), and binary mixtures (ethanol/hexane, ethanol/water). Gas chromatography (GC) and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) were employed to analyze the extracts. Hexane, the least effective solvent, extracted only one compound, which can be isolated in pure form. Methanol, the most efficient solvent for quantitative extraction, yielded 7 out of 12 extracted compounds. However, ethanol extracted the highest number of compounds, with a total of 16. Additionally, a new criterion for assessing solvent extraction power is proposed, based on the sum of peak areas in the chromatograms, providing an objective measure of solvent effectiveness.