microwave-assisted extraction of fulvic acid from a solid dosage form: a statistical approach

fulvic acid is a polymer that acts as a carrier to a number of drugs by its great complexing ability, thereby augmenting their bioavailability. conventional procedure of extraction is available, but it involves long extraction times and a number of rudimentary steps. the purpose of this study was to overcome this issue.

methods

the extraction of fulvic acid was carried out from a solid dosage form using microwave-assisted extraction (mae) technique, and the effects of variables were studied on its percentage yield by using a “4-factorial 2-level statistical model.” fulvic acid so obtained was characterized for physicochemical properties, spectroscopic analyses, and elemental composition to access its integrity.

results

the process was statistically optimized with 4-factorial 2-level model with 16 runs. the maximum yield of 45.5 mg/g was obtained on levels, viz., temperature (75 °c), time (5 min), number of repeated extractions (1), and solid/liquid ratio (1:4), whereas the predicted yield under similar conditions was found to be 44.5 mg/g and this verified our experimental results statistically.

conclusions

mae can be considered as a new and fast method of extraction for many natural substances including fulvic acid.