Microwave Assisted Isolation of Mucilage from the Trichosanthes Dioica Fruit

Objective: A microwave assisted extraction technique was developed to optimize the extraction of mucilage from the fruits of Trichosenthes dioica plant. Materials and Methods: the plant has been extracted by conventional and microwave assisted methods for the isolation of mucilage. Results and Discussion: Microwave extraction at 320 W intensity and 20 min heating duration, 84.92% increase in the yield of mucilage while 52.06% and 38.09% increase in the yield at 640 W for 5 min and 160 W for 40 min respectively were obtained under microwave irradiation when compared to 1 h conventional heating method. The products obtained by both the methods were of similar nature both physically and chemically. Conclusion: The developed microwave procedure can be used successfully in commercial and routine laboratory isolation of mucilage.