Separation and purification of curcumin preparation of morphology controlled micro particles

Curcumin was extracted from turmeric plants which is the most commonly used natural pigments, and possess a variety of pharmacological functions except for using pigment. The morphology and particle size of curcumin are main factors affecting the application. Therefore, the morphology and particle size distribution of curcumin were effectively controlled by advanced technology, which is significant for expanding the application and added value of curcumin. The curcumin crystal was obtained from curcumin pigments by using column chromatography and recrystallization techniques. The composition and structure of curcumin were characterized by elementary analysis, UV-Vis, IR and NMR. Micronization of curcumin was carried out the Solution Enhanced Dispersion by Supercritical Fluids (SEDS) technology. In the process, supercritical carbon dioxide was used as anti-solvent and acetone/dichloromethane (1:4, v:v) was used as solvent. The curcumin crystals with PSs of about 378 μm were successfully micronized by the SEDS process to micro particles with PSs of about 2.6-10 μm. The acicular, leaves, dendritic and tubular micro particles were obtained through controlling parameters such as pressure, temperature, solution concentration and solution flow rate.DOI: http://doi.dx.org/10.5564/mjc.v15i0.314 Mongolian Journal of Chemistry 15 (41), 2014, p11-14