Muhammad Sahlan, Desy Rosarina, Hasna Farida Ratna Suminar, Yoga Diatama Pohan, Ibnu Maulana Hidayatullah, Dimas Rafi Narawangsa, Dwini Normayulisa Putri, Eka Sari, Meka Saima Perdani, Yudha Gusti Wibowo, Heri Hermansyah
Background/Objectives: Solvent-intensive methods are traditionally required to extract curcumin, a potent bioactive compound from Curcuma longa, raising environmental and safety concerns. Methods: This study introduces an efficient and scalable extraction approach using microwave–ultrasound-assisted extraction (MUAE) combined with a natural deep eutectic solvent (NADES) composed of choline chloride and lactic acid. Process parameters, including solvent water content (20–30% v/v) and solid loading (4–8% w/v), were optimized using response surface methodology (RSM) to enhance curcumin yield. Results: Under optimal conditions (20% water content and 8% solid loading), the MUAE method achieved a curcumin content of 40.72 ± 1.21 mg/g, representing a 14.36% improvement over conventional ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE), while reducing solvent usage by 50%. The quadratic model demonstrated excellent predictive capability, with an R2 value of 0.98. In addition, anti-solvent precipitation using water increased curcuminoid purity from 0.31% to 20.54%, with a recovery rate of 21.49%. Conclusions: Mechanistic analysis revealed that microwave-induced cell disruption, ultrasound cavitation, and the modulation of NADES viscosity contributed synergistically to the enhanced extraction performance. This study is the first to combine MUAE with NADES for optimized curcumin extraction, delivering both high yield and reduced solvent consumption. The proposed method offers a sustainable and industrially relevant alternative for curcumin recovery in the food, nutraceutical, and pharmaceutical sectors. © 2025 by the authors.
Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Universitas Indonesia, Kampus UI Depok, West Java, Depok, 16424, Indonesia; Research Center for Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Universitas Indonesia, Kampus UI Depok, West Java, Depok, 16424, Indonesia; Department of Industrial Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Universitas Muhammadiyah Tangerang, Banten, Tangerang, 15118, Indonesia; Research Center for Biomass Valorizations, Universitas Indonesia, Kampus UI Depok, West Java, Depok, 16424, Indonesia; Research Center for Biomass and Bioproducts, National Research and Innovation Agency, West Java, Cibinong, 16911, Indonesia; Chemical Engineering, Engineering Faculty, Sultan Ageng Tirtayasa University, Banten, Cilegon, 42434, Indonesia; Bioengineering & Biomedical Engineering, Research Centre CoE, Engineering Faculty, Sultan Ageng Tirtayasa University, Banten, Cilegon, 42434, Indonesia; Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Universitas Singaperbangsa Karawang, West Java, Karawang, 41361, Indonesia; Center for Green and Sustainable Materials, Institut Teknologi Sumatera, Terusan Ryacudu, Way Hui, Jati AgungLampung Selatan, Bandar Lampung, 35365, Indonesia