Study of Analytical Methods for Determining 16 Organophosphorus Pesticide Residues in Panax Notoginseng and Aucklandia Lappa Decne by Automated Solid-Phase Extraction System and GC/MS

A fast and sensitive multi-residue analytical method was developed for the determination of organophosphorus pesticide residues in Panax notoginseng and Aucklandia lappa decne by comparing an ultrasonic extraction and homogenate extraction approach coupled with automated solid-phase extraction system and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS). Various factors affecting the homogenate extraction and purification efficiency were investigated in detail. The optimum conditions for homogenate extraction of organophosphorus pesticide residues from Panax notoginseng and Aucklandia lappa decne were 60 mL dichloromethane, 10000 r/min of extracting revolution speed and 2 min of extracting time. The extracts were cleaned up by automated solid-phase extraction system and determined by GC/MS. Under the optimum conditions, the results of the homogenate extraction approach were compared with those of the ultrasonic extraction, and the homogenate extraction approach was used to extract the samples. The average recoveries of the method by a homogenate extraction approach coupled with automated solid-phase extraction system and GC/MS ranged from 72.56% to 96.70%, and RSDs were 0.05~0.14%, which allowed the determination of 16 organophosphorus pesticide residues in Panax notoginseng and Aucklandia lappa decne. The results indicated that the proposed method can apply for the determination of organophosphate pesticides residues in Panax notoginseng and Aucklandia lappa decne with high accuracy and precision.

Homogenate Extraction of Dihydroartemisinin from Artemisia Hedinii and Its Antifungal Activity

Background Artemisia hedinii is a well-known traditional Chinese medicine. It can be used to extract dihydroartemisinin (DHA). Objective The purpose of this study was to explore the optimal conditions for the homogenate extraction of DHA from A. hedinii and the antifungal activity of DHA. Methods In this study, single factor experiments and response surface method were used to determine the optimal extraction conditions of crude extract and DHA, the method of spore germination was used to study the antifungal activity of DHA to Alternaria alternata. Result The optimal conditions were found as fellow: ratio of liquid to material 22 mL/g; Extraction time 60 s; soaking time 34 min. Under these conditions, extraction yield of DHA was (1.76 ± 0.04%). When the concentration of crude extract were 0.5 and 8 mg/mL, the spore germination inhibition rates of Alternaria alternata were (17.00 ± 2.05%) and (92.56 ± 2.01%), which were 3.34 and 1.15 times that of DHA standard, respectively. Conclusion Homogenate extraction technology is a fast and efficient method to extract DHA from A. hedinii. The crude extract has significant antifungal activity against A. alternata with low cost, which provides a possibility for the use of DHA in the prevention and treatment of plant pathogenic fungi. Highlights The optimum conditions of the extraction of DHA from A. hedinii by homogenate extraction were obtained. DHA has antifungal activity against A. alternata. Compared with pure DHA, the crude extract has stronger antifungal activity against A. alternata.

Homogenate Extraction of Polysaccharides from Pine Nut Meal: Optimization and Comparison with Other Extraction Methods by Characterizing Their Extracts

Homogenate extraction technology was applied to extract polysaccharides from pine nut (Pinus koraiensis) meal, a food waste from its oil processing. The first objective was to study the effects of liquid-solid ratio, homogenate extraction time, and temperature on the yield of pine nut meal polysaccharides (PNMP) using single-factor and Box–Behnken design. The optimal processing conditions were liquid-solid ratio of 43.23 mL/g at 35°C for 2 min 50 sec that produced PNMP yield of 11.7%. Extraction factors interacted with each other significantly (p<0.01). The second objective was to compare the homogenate extract with those produced using other methods including ultrasonic, microwave, and hot water extraction. Polysaccharides were separated using HPLC based on molecular weight (MW) and characterized with the polysaccharide and protein contents of each fraction. The homogenate PNMP had the most of small size (<100 kDa) polysaccharides, and its glycoprotein fractions generally contained higher level of protein, as well as a high ABTS+ scavenging activity observed by HPLC-UV-ABTS+ assay. FTIR analysis was used to characterize the functional groups. Homogenate extraction is superior in producing PNMP compared with other common methods, and its PNMP extract has potential antioxidant benefit.

Determination of Organophosphorus Pesticide Residues in Winter Bamboo Shoots by Homogenate Extraction Coupled with Gas Chromatography-Flame Photometric Detector

Excessive use of organophosphorus pesticides (OPPs) in fruits and vegetables may affect human health. In this paper, a simple, rapid and effective method for the determination of five OPPs in winter bamboo shoots by gas chromatography-flame photometric detector (GC-FPD) was developed. Three extractants and three extraction methods were examined respectively. The results showed that the recovery rate was higher when the samples were extracted by acetonitrile and treated with homogenate extraction method. Under the optimized conditions, recoveries ranged from 82.12% to 91.48% with the relative standard deviation (RSD) of 1.51-4.20% and the limit of detection (LOD) of 0.005-0.02 μg/mL. Results showed that using acetonitrile as extractants and homogenate extraction in sample preparation is an effective method in determination of pesticide residues in winter bamboo shoots.

A “Green” Homogenate Extraction Coupled with UHPLC-MS for the Rapid Determination of Diterpenoids in Croton Crassifolius

Clerodane diterpenoids are the main bioactive constituents of Croton crassifolius and are proved to have multiple biological activities. However, quality control (QC) research on the constituents are rare. Thus, the major research purpose of the current study was to establish an efficient homogenate extraction (HGE) process combined with a sensitive and specific ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC–MS) technique together for the rapid extraction and determination of clerodane diterpenoids in C. crassifolius. All calibration curves showed good linearity (r > 0.9943) within the test ranges and the intra- and inter-day precisions and repeatability were all within required limits. This modified HGE–UHPLC–MS method only took 5 min to extract nine clerodane diterpenoids in C. crassifolius and another 12 min to quantify these components. The results indicated that the quantitative analysis based on UHPLC–MS was a feasible method for QC of clerodane diterpenoids in C. crassifolius, and the findings outlined in the current study also inferred the potential of the method in the QC of clerodane diterpenoids in other complex species of plants.

Homogenate Extraction of Crocins from Saffron Optimized by Response Surface Methodology

Saffron, which has many kinds of biological activities, has been widely used in medicine, cosmetics, food, and other fields of health promotion industries. Crocins are the main component of saffron (Crocus sativus L.). At present, most of the extraction methods for crocins require long time or special instruments to complete the process and some of them are not suitable for industrial production at present. In this article, homogenate extraction technology which is a convenient and efficient method was developed for crocins extraction from saffron. Firstly, the influences of extraction voltage, extraction time, ethanol concentration, and temperature on crocins yield were studied by single factor experiments; and then response surface methodology (RSM) was used to optimize levels of four variables based on the result of single factor experiments. Results showed that the optimum extraction process conditions for crocins were as follows: extraction voltage, 110 V; ethanol concentration, 70%; extraction temperature, 57°C; and extraction time, 40 s. Based on these conditions, the extraction yield of crocins can reach 22.76% which is higher than ultrasonic extraction method. Therefore, homogenate extraction is an effective way to extract crocins from saffron with higher extraction yield and shorter extraction time.