Optimization and Comparison of Ultrasound-Assisted Extraction of Estragole from Tarragon Leaves with Hydro-Distillation Method

A comparative study of ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) and hydro-distillation was performed for fast extraction of estragole from tarragon (Artemisia dracunculus L.) dried leaves. Several influential parameters of the UAE procedure in the extraction of estragole (type of solvent, extraction cycles, solvent to material ratio, irradiation time and particle size) were investigated and optimized. It was found that UAE offers a more rapid extraction of estragole than hydrodistillation. The optimum parameters were solvent to material ratio of 8:1 v/m, 96% (w/w) ethanol in water as extraction solvent, particle size of 1.18 mm, irradiation time of 5 min, output power of 63 W, 9 pulses, and ultrasonic frequency of 20 kHz. The recovery of estragole by UAE under optimal conditions was 44.4% based on dry extract. The benefit of ultrasound was to decrease the extraction time (5 min) relative to the classical hydrodistillation method (3 h). The experimental results also indicated that ultrasound-assisted extraction is a simple, rapid and effective method for extraction of the volatile oil components of tarragon.