Curcumin extraction

Regarding the data concerning the stability of curcumin in solution, it is advisable to perform extraction under acidic conditions and to avoid direct light exposure. However, it will also depend on the material from which curcumin has to be extracted. 

Sun, X. et al., Capillary electrophoresis with amperometric detection of curcumin in Chinese herbal medicine pretreated by solid-phase extraction, J. Chromatogr. A, 962, 117, 2002. 

Turmeric, also known as curcuma, is an easily fading yellow dye that was used in Mesopotamia many centuries b.c.e. and later became popular in ancient Rome. It is derived from the turmeric plant, Curcuma longa, and other varieties of Curcuma indigenous to China and Southwest Asia. The dye is extracted with hot water from the shredded rhizomes of the plant and then dried into a yellow powder. The coloring matter in turmeric is the organic compound curcumin. 

A careful interpretation of the spectra allowed the identification of monoacetate and diacetate derivatives of curcumin [26] in the turmeric extract, as well as of nineteen other diarylheptanoids, including twelve not reported until that time. [25]... 

Curcumin (E100). Curcumin is obtained from the spice turmeric, which comes from the plant Curcuma longa, of the ginger family. Curcumin is obtained by extraction from the plant to give a deodorised product. 

Aznarez et al. [2] have described a Spectrophotometric method using curcumin as chromopore for the determination of boron in soil. Boron is extracted from the soil into methyl isobutyl ketone with 2-methylpentane-2,4-diol. In this method 0.2-lg of finely ground soil is digested with 5ml concentrated nitric-perchloric acid (3 + 1) in a polytetrafluoroethylene lined pressure pump for 2h at 150°C. The filtrate is neutralized with 6M sodium hydroxide and diluted to 100ml with hydrochloric acid 1+l.This solution is triple extracted with 10ml of methyl isobutyl ketone to remove iron interference. This solution is then extracted with 10ml 2-methyl pentane-2,4 diol and this extract dried over anhydrous sodium sulphate. 

The development of the colour is carried out in the organic phase used for extraction by the addition of curcumin in glacial acetic acid and phosphoric acid as dehydrating agent. Spectrophotometric evaluation is carried out at 510nm. 

The effect of those ions most frequently present in soils on the boron determinations is shown in Table 12.1. The interference of iron at concentrations higher than 7xlO 5M can be eliminated as the chloro complex by extraction with methyl isobutyl ketone. The total elimination of iron III was not necessary as the phosphoric acid masked the residual iron III in the boric acid-curcumin reaction. 

Isolation of curcumin from turmeric has been obtained by TLC. It has been reported that curcumin [(E,E)-l,7-bis(4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)-l,6-heptadiene-3,5-one] may have antitumour and anticancer activities. Turmeric was ground and a sample of 20g was refluxed with 50 ml of dichloromethane for 1 h. The suspension was filtered and concentrated at 50°C. The residue was triturated with 20 ml of n-hexane. The rest was analysed by TLC using a silica stationary phase and dichloromethane-methanol (97 3, v/v) as the mobile phase. It was found that TLC separated the crude extract in three fractions with RP values of 0.49, 0.22, and 0.085 [310],... 

Curcumin, a polyphenolic constituent isolated from Curcuma longa L. Zingiberaceae (Fig. 6), and a methanol extract of the dried powdered turmeric rhizome were both active against 19 strains of HP, including five CagA- - strains. The MIC range was 6.25-50 /tg/mL. In addition, a red wine Vitis vinifera) and resveratrol, inhibited the growth of HP... 

Fig. 6. Phenolic constituents curcumin and the gingerols isolated from Zingiber officinale L. and Curcuma longa L., and resveratrol from a red wine extract. All have significant inhibitory activities on Cag- - strains of HP.

Oxygen radical inhibition. Seed oil, administered to rats at a concentration of 8% of diet, was active on macrophages. Gapsai-cin or curcumin enhanced the effecG. Phagocytosis stimulation. Ethanol (95%) extract and unsaponifiable fraction of the dried leaf, administered intraperitoneally to male mice at a dose of 0.5 mL/animal, were inactive . 

The pure oleoresin produced by solvents normally contains only pure curcumin, in a crystalline form. It is hardly soluble in liquid- and supercritical CO2- Even at an extraction pressure of 450 bar, and with 2 hours extraction time at 65°C, only 20% of the initial curcumin can be extracted. On the other hand, all the volatile oil and fatty oil is extracted, and a fat-free curcumin-starch mixture with a very low flavour-content can be produced. The total extraction yields are between 5 to 12%, with mostly fatty oil and volatile oil, and about 10% curcumin in the extract. 

The curcumin may be prepared as follows 30 grams of turmeric powder (Curcuma tonga) are dried at ioo° and then treated for four hours in an extraction apparatus with petroleum ether. The dry, defatted powder is then extracted in the same apparatus with 100 c.c. of benzene for 8—10 hours on cooling, the benzene solution deposits the curcumin as a fine, yellowish, crystalline powder. 

Table 16.1. Perhaps the first in vivo study to report the anticancer activity of curcumin was by Kuttan et al. in 1985. In this study the authors demonstrated, using an ascites mice model of Dalton s lymphoma, that both curcumin and turmeric extract could reduce the development of animal tumors [Kuttan et al., 1985]. Several reports have been published supporting the efficacy of curcumin treatment against cancer.

Those that have been identified in recent times include flavonoids,212-214 aurothiomalate,215 hydrangenol,216 occurring in the leaves of Hydrangea, tannins,217 derivatives of tranilast,218 curcumin,219 an extract of the spice turmeric, glycyrrhizin,220 found in the roots and rhizomes of licorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra), used as an effective antiinflamatory agent in Chinese medicine. 

Isolation of curcuminoids from turmeric has been reported by numerous workers. However, extraction of pure curcumin from the plant... 

Baumann, W., Rodrigues, S.V. and Viana, L.M. (2000) Pigments and their solubility in and extractability by supercritical C02. Part 1. The case of curcumin. Brazilian journal of Chemical Engineering 1 7, 323-328. 

Xianchun, W., Xie, J., Shan, C. and Qi, Z. (1 993) Extraction of curcumin from Jianghuang (Curcuma longa) by ethanol reflux. Shipin Kexue (Beijing) 165, 45-47. 

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