Ultrasonic extraction of ferulic acid from Angelica sinensis

Abstract In this paper, the extraction of ferulic acid, a pharmacologically active ingredient from the root of Angelica sinensis with ultrasonic extraction was investigated. Percolation and supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) were also employed to make comparisons with ultrasonic extraction. Three variables, which including the concentration of solvent, the ratio of solvent volume to sample (mL/g), and extraction time, were found to have great influence on ultrasonic extraction. The optimum extraction conditions were using pure ethanol with a ratio of solvent volume to sample 8:1 (mL/g) and extraction time of 30 min. Under the optimum extraction conditions, the extraction yield could reach 6.5% mass fraction, which was higher than that of SFE process with ethanol as co‐solvent and nearly a content of ferulic acid 1.0%; both the yield and the content of ferulic acid were higher than those obtained by percolation. Moreover, the time of ultrasonic extraction was significantly shortened. Overall, Ultrasonic extraction was shown to be highly efficient in the extraction of ferulic acid from Angelica sinensis .