Sains Malaysiana 43(5)(2014): 707–713

The Effects of Raw Material Particles Size, Types of Solvents and Solvent-to-Solid Ratio

on the Yield of Rotenone Extracted from Derris elliptica Roots

(Kesan Saiz Partikel Bahan Mentah, Jenis Pelarut dan Nisbah Pelarut-kepada-Pepejal

terhadap Keberhasilan Rotenon Diekstrak daripada akar Derris elliptica)

SAIFUL IRWAN ZUBAIRI*¹, MOHAMAD ROJI SARMIDI²& RAMLAN ABDUL AZIZ²

¹School of Chemical Sciences & Food Technology, Faculty of Science and Technology

Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600 Bangi, Selangor D.E. Malaysia

²Institute of Bioproduct Development, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia

81310 UTM Skudai, Johor D.T., Malaysia

Received: 13 June 2013/Accepted: 1 September 2013

ABSTRACT

Currently, bio-pesticide is relatively harmless to human and environment and thus desirable for its use in the control of insect vectors. Bio-pesticide has been increasingly important in both scale commercial agriculture and small plot, subsistence farming. One of the sources for bio-pesticide is ‘tuba’ plant, known as Derris elliptica. Derris elliptica contains bio-active compounds known as rotenone (C₂₃H₃₃O₆) which is harmless to plants, highly toxic to many insects and relatively innocuous to mammals. The study was carried out to investigate the appropriate processing parameters with the aimed to acquire high yield of rotenone (mg) and concentration (mg/mL) of the exhaustive extraction process by evaluating the kinetics of the normal soaking extraction (NSE) method. The raw plants were collected from Kota Johor Lama, Johor and sorted to collect the root. The roots were sorted into 2 types of raw material particles size (mm in diameter) prior to the extraction process. Rotenone from the root part was extracted by using a NSE method at ambient temperature of 27±1oC. Three types of solvents and 2 solvent-to-solid ratios were utilized throughout the extraction process. The extraction was carried out for 50 h and the fractions of the liquid crude extract were collected for each interval time (2 h/mL/fraction) and further cleaned up to remove any fine debris prior to the determination of rotenone content (mg) and its concentration (mg/mL) via reverse-phase high performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC). From the kinetics result obtained, it was found that the fine Derris elliptica roots with particles size of 0.5 - 2 mm in diameter and solvent-to-solid ratio of 10 mL/g of acetone solvent system were considered the best processing parameters to procure high yield of rotenone and its concentration.

Keywords: Derris elliptica; exhaustive extraction; liquid crude extract; normal soaking extraction; rotenone; yield

ABSTRAK

Pada masa ini, secara relatifnya bio-pestisid tidak mendatangkan sebarang kesan berbahaya kepada manusia dan alam sekitar dan ia sesuai untuk kegunaan mengawal vektor serangga. Kepentingan bio-pestisid telah pun meningkat pada skala pertanian berkomersial dan kelompok kecilan serta kehidupan dalam pertanian sedia ada. Salah satu sumber untuk bio-pestisid adalah pokok tuba yang dikenali sebagai Derris elliptica. Derris elliptica mengandungi bahan bio-aktif yg dikenali sebagai rotenone (C₂₃H₃₃O₆) dan ia tidak berbahaya kepada tumbuhan, sangat toksik kepada kebanyakan serangga dan secara relatifnya tidak berbahaya kepada mamalia. Kajian ini dijalankan untuk mengenal pasti parameter pemprosesan tertentu dengan objektif untuk mendapatkan keberhasilan rotenon dan kepekatan yang tinggi oleh pengekstrakan menyeluruh dengan menilai fasa kinetik kaedah pengekstrakan celuran norma (NSE). Sumber pokok mentah dikumpulkan dari Kota Johor Lama, Johor dan diasingkan untuk pengumpulan akar. Akar pokok diasingkan mengikut 2 jenis saiz partikel bahan mentah (diameter dalam mm) sebelum proses pengekstrakan. Rotenon daripada bahagian akar diekstrak menggunakan kaedah NSE pada suhu bilik iaitu 27±1oC. Tiga jenis pelarut dan 2 nisbah pelarut-kepada-pepejal digunakan sepanjang proses tersebut. Proses pengekstrakan dijalankan selama 50 jam dan fraksi daripada cecair ekstrak mentah dikumpulkan bagi setiap sela masa tertentu (2 jam/mL/fraksi) dan seterusnya ditapis untuk mengeluarkan sebarang serbuk halus sebelum analisis kandungan rotenon (mg) dan kepekatannya (mg/mL) dengan menggunakan fasa terbalik cecair kromatografi berprestasi tinggi (RP-HPLC). Daripada keputusan uji kaji kinetik, didapati bahawa akar Derris elliptica halus bersaiz 0.5 - 2 mm dalam diameter dan nisbah pelarut-kepada-pepejal 10 mL/g bagi sistem pelarut aseton boleh dianggap sebagai parameter pemprosesan yang terbaik untuk mendapatkan keberhasilan dan kepekatan bahan aktif rotenone yang tinggi.

Kata kunci: Derris elliptica; rotenone; pengekstrakan celuran norma; pengekstrakan menyeluruh; cecair ekstrak mentah; keberhasilan

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*Corresponding author; email: saiful-z@ukm.edu.my