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Abstract
Curcumin, a bio-active phytochemical, is a major component of turmeric. It is also a significant food flavoring and potential therapeutic agent for diverse diseases. The traditional organic solvents are not environmentally friendly because of their features including toxicity, volatility and flammability. For this reason, in this study, the ionic liquid 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl) imide ([BMIM][Tf2N]), as an alternative green solvent, was investigated for the extraction of curcumin from turmeric. The curcumin in the turmeric samples under various extraction conditions was determined by the use of high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Response surface methodology (RSM) was utilized to investigate the influence of extraction parameters including the time from 10 to 60 min, temperature from 25 to 55 °C, and solvent volume from 10 to 30 mL. The experimentally determined curcumin yield ranged between 0.76% and 2.94%. The optimal extraction conditions were obtained employing an extraction time interval equal to 60 min, temperature of 55 °C and solvent volume of 30 mL. The maximum curcumin yield extracted from turmeric was 2.94% using the optimal conditions.