Extraction and concentration of tanshinones in Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge by task-specific non-ionic surfactant assistance

Organic solvents were widely used for extraction of bioactive compounds from different functional foods and nutraceuticals. However, the involvement of toxic and volatile organic solvents causes significant environmental problems. In order to overcome the shortages, non-ionic surfactant-assisted extraction was proposed as an alternative, effective, cheap and green extraction method. By considering the chemical structure and stability of the target compounds, a task-specific non-ionic surfactant can be selected. The bioactive compounds were extracted from the solid matrix with subsequent concentration by cloud point extraction. This proposed method was thoroughly evaluated by extraction and then concentration of both cryptotanshinone and tanshinone I from functional food of Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge. Cryptotanshinone (0.208 mg/g) and tanshinone I (0.147 mg/g) were extracted using Triton X-100 with concentrations of 45.7 and 40.6 μg/ml, respectively. Furthermore, the Triton X series surfactant exhibited potential for application towards more hydrophobic bioactive compounds containing benzene rings, such as phenolic compounds.