Efficacy of ultrasound in the extraction of fructan from tubers of Eremurus spectabilis using Box-Behnken design

Fructan is widely used throughout the world for its health-promoting and functional properties. Eremurus spectabilis which has traditionally been used in different industries as well as in folk medicine is considered one of the valuable resources of fructan. However, there is little information about fructan extraction from this plant. Ultrasound-assisted extraction is considered one of the most important methods for extraction of the most valuable compounds from plant sources and is applicable in both laboratory and industrial scales. In this study, boxbehnken design was used in order to investigate the effect of time (5-40 min), temperature (30- 70º C) and ultrasound amplitude (20–100 %) on the yield of fructan extraction from Eremurus spectabilis and optimization the extraction process using ultrasound waves. To describe the extraction yield, a first-order model was developed and verified its performance. The model was subsequently used to assess the appropriate conditions affected by the interaction between parameters and estimate the best process conditions with maximum extraction yield. Results showed that maximum yield is achieved with extraction time of 29.31 min, extraction temperature of 60º C and ultrasound amplitude of 80.04%.