Optimization of extraction conditions on yield, crude protein content and emulsifying capacity of mucilage from Talinum paniculatum

This study was conducted to investigate the influence of extractionconditions i.e. water:frondsratio (0.5:1 –12:1), temperature (25 –90 ̊C) and pH (3 –11) on extraction yield, crude protein content and emulsifying capacity of mucilage from Talinum paniculatumfronds. Response surface methodology with a face cantered-central composite design was applied to optimize the extraction conditions. With 20 experimental runs, extraction yield, crude protein content and emulsifying capacity of the mucilage were recorded to be 2.32 –4.90%, 15.05 –30.97% and 8.05 –37.93%, respectively. Response surface analyses showed that increases in mucilage yield were mainly due to significant (p < 0.05) quadratic effect of pH and also synergistic effect between water:fronds ratio and pH. In contrast, significant (p < 0.05) quadratic effect of temperature and its synergistic effect with water:fronds ratio led to increase in emulsifying capacity of the mucilage. Furthermore, linear effect of pH seemed to significantly (p < 0.05) increase the crude protein content, in addition to significant (p < 0.05) synergistic effect between water:fronds ratio and pH. Experimental data for each response were best fitted with a quadratic model, having high coefficients of determination (R2= 0.81 –0.98) and no lack-of-fit. The optimum conditions for mucilage extraction from T. paniculatumwere obtained at water:fronds ratio of 8.4:1, temperature of 90 ⁰C and pH of 8, providing 3.44 % yield, 29.35 % crude protein content and 34.00 % emulsifying capacity of T. paniculatummucilage.