ELECTROCOAGULATION FOR D-PINITOL ENRICHMENT FROM CAROB EXTRACT: PLATE SELECTION
Özet
D-Pinitol (3-O-methyl-D-chiro-inositol), a bioactive compound holds promise
for its anti-diabetic properties. However, synthesizing D-pinitol in laboratory
settings is prohibitively expensive, prompting research to focus on extracting
and purifying it from natural sources. This study introduces electrocoagulation
(EC) as an innovative technique not previously explored for D-pinitol extraction
from carob extract. EC facilitates the removal of charged compounds in colloidal
suspensions by inducing collisions and neutralization with ions of opposite
charges. The efficiency of this process largely depends on the types of plates used,
as they vary in effectiveness based on the colloidal compounds in the solution.
In this context, this study evaluated aluminum (Al) and stainless-steel (SS)
plates, commonly employed in EC research, to ascertain their effectiveness in
the extraction process. Four distinct trials were designed, positioning each plate
type at the anode and cathode ends within the EC system. The experiments
maintained fixed operational parameters (Electrode interval: 3 cm, current
density: 60 mA/cm², voltage: 30 V, and time: 60 min) in the carob extract produced
from cultivated carob fruits grown in Antalya, Türkiye. The effectiveness of EC
was assessed by determination of D-pinitol content (using HPLC separation and
refractive index detection), colorimetric analysis of total phenolic content (using
a spectrophotometer), color measurement (using a colorimeter), and turbidity
measurement (using a turbidimeter) in the post-treatment
The study found that the Al (-) and SS (+) plate combination significantly
enhanced D-Pinitol yield by 23%, increasing it from 17 to 42.36 g/100 g dry matter.
Additionally, there were reductions in total phenolic content and turbidity, along
with an improvement in color (L value). The results indicate the success of EC as an intermediate process for D-Pinitol
purification.
