Unlocking Agave bracteosa Saponins: Optimized green extraction through Box-Behnken design

Ultrasound-assisted extraction has emerged as an eco-friendly and efficient alternative for the recovery of bioactive compounds from plant matrices. The present study aimed to optimize the UAE conditions for obtaining saponin-enriched extracts from Agave bracteosa leaves. To this end, a Box-Behnken design coupled with response surface methodology was employed to evaluate the influence of the following factors on saponin yield: ethanol concentration, extraction temperature, sample-to-solvent ratio, ultrasound cycle, and amplitude. The optimal conditions were as follows: 71 % ethanol in water, 34 °C, a sample-to-solvent ratio of 0.02 g/20 mL, a 0.3 s on/0.7 s off cycle, 20 % amplitude, and 5 min. The extracts were analyzed using UPLC-QTOF/MS E , leading to the identification of saponins recently reported for Agave bracteosa . The optimized method demonstrated high repeatability and applicability across different Agave species ( A. americana and A. lophanta ). An extraction efficiency (%EE) of 2739 was achieved compared with preliminary UAE extractions. This study highlights the potential of ultrasound-assisted extraction as a sustainable and effective technique for saponin extraction with important advantages such as reduced energy consumption and processing time. • UAE was used to extract furostanic saponins from A. bracteosa , an unexplored species. • Box-Behnken design and response surface methodology were used to optimize UAE parameters. • An extraction efficiency (%EE) of 2739 was achieved with the optimized UAE method compared with preliminary UAE extractions. • The developed UAE method is proposed as a green alternative to extract furostanic saponins.