Extraction from Leaves of Piper klotzschianum using Supercritical Carbon Dioxide and Co-Solvents

The objective of this study was to investigate the supercritical carbon dioxide extraction of dry leaves of Piper klotzschianum using a factorial experiment (3(2)) and the Taguchi L-9 method to optimize the extraction yield of secondary metabolites with pharmaceutical applications. In the first part of this study where only temperature and pressure were investigated, the highest extraction yield (1.36%) was obtained at 353 K 220 bar. In the second part, the addition of organic co-solvents as 5% of methanol significantly improved the extraction yield to 2.18% representing an increase of 40 % compared to extraction using carbon dioxide alone. Chemical analysis of the extracts revealed that germacrene D, pipercallosidine, 14-oxy-alpha-muuroleno, bicyclogermacrene and (E)-caryophyllene were the major constituents present at the supercritical extract. The extraction of bioactive sesquiterpenes and amides as pipercallosidine and piperovatine, demonstrate the great potential of supercritical technique to extract valuable chemical compounds, including ones with phytotherapeutic properties.