Comparación de diferentes métodos de extracción para la obtención de una fracción rica en fitosteroles a partir de la cachaza de caña de azúcar

Abstract

Phytosterols are natural compounds of great importance for pharmaceutical and alimentary industry. They can be used as precursors in chemical synthesis of drugs or as nutraceutics due to their excellent pharmacological properties. Sugar cane mill byproducts are suitable phytosterol sources in Cuba. The comparison of five extraction methods for a rich phytosterol fraction from sugar cane mud was carried out. For these purposes, traditional methods such as the digest with and without shaking, shaking reactors, soxhlet and microwaves, a novel method, were assayed. The sample/solvent relation was varied for all methods. Furthermore, irradiation time, potency levels as well as digest prior to irradiation were also assayed for microwave method, looking for better yields. Better yields were obtained for soxhlet extraction, then shake reactors, digest prior to irradiation, irradiation and digest finally. Higher yields were directly related to solvent volume increase for all methods, that is the lower sample/solvent relation, the bigger yield. Digest was the least efficient method for phytosterol extraction. Yields by microwave irradiation (simple or combined with digest) were low, so this
method is not recommended.