ABSTRACT
The aim of the present study was to maximize the extraction of gymnemic acid (GA) from Phak Chiang Da (PCD) leaves, an indigenous medicinal plant used for diabetic treatment in Northern Thailand. The goal was to overcome the low concentration of GA in the leaves, which limits its applications among a larger population and develop a process to produce GA-enriched PCD extract powder. The solvent extraction method was employed to extract GA from PCD leaves. The effect of ethanol concentration and extraction temperature were investigated to determine the optimum extraction conditions. A process was developed to produce GA-enriched PCD extract powder, and its properties were characterized. In addition, color analysis (L*, a*, and b*) was performed to evaluate the overall appearance of the PCD extract powder. Antioxidant activity assay was conducted to assess the ability of the PCD extract powder to neutralize DPPH free radicals. The results showed that the concentration of 50% (v/v) ethanol at 70 °C for 2 h resulted in a higher GA concentration of 8307 mg/kg from dried PCD leaves. During the drying process, the use of maltodextrin at a concentration of 0.5% (w/v) was found to produce PCD extract powder with the maximum GA concentration. The color analysis revealed that the PCD extract powder had a dark greenish tint mixed with yellow. The antioxidant activity assay showed that 0.1 g of PCD extract powder was able to neutralize 75.8% of DPPH free radicals. The results concluded that PCD extract powder could potentially be used as a source of nutraceuticals or as a functional food ingredient. These findings suggest the potential value of GA-rich PCD extract powder in various applications in the pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, or food industries.
