Assessment of Scale-Up Parameter of Microwave-Assisted Extraction via the Extraction of Flavonoids from Cocoa Leaves

Microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) is a promising technique for the extraction of flavonoid compounds from plants. However, it is difficult to be scaled up due to complex mass transfer involved. This has prompted the study of parameters for scaling up the system by considering energy-related parameters namely nominal power density and absorbed power density (APD). Modeling of MAE of flavonoid compounds from cocoa (Theobroma cacao L.) leaves using film theory model was performed for this purpose. Operating parameters such as particle size of sample, solvent to feed ratio and microwave irradiation power were also included in the kinetic study. APD exhibits its potentiality in scaling up as it can characterize both the extraction kinetics and extraction yields of MAE. Furthermore, it can be used as a reference for predicting optimum extraction time of MAE at various heating conditions.