High-efficient column chromatographic extraction of curcumin from Curcuma longa

Curcumin is an important food additive and a potential therapeutic agent for various diseases from turmeric, the rhizome of Curcuma longa L. High-efficient column chromatographic extraction (CCE) procedures were developed for the extraction of curcumin from turmeric. Turmeric powder was loaded into a column with 2-fold 80% ethanol. The column was eluted with 80% ethanol at room temperature. For quantitative analysis with a non-cyclic CCE, 8-fold eluent was collected as extraction solution. For large preparation with a cyclic CCE, only the first 2-fold of eluent was collected as extraction and other eluent was sequentially circulated to the next columns. More than 99% extraction rates were obtained through both CCE procedures, compared to a 59% extraction rate by the ultrasonic-assisted maceration extraction with 10-fold 80% ethanol. The CCE procedures are high-efficient for the extraction of curcumin from turmeric with minimum use of solvent and high concentration of extraction solution.