Vol. 12, Issue 6 (2023)

Author(s):
Febin Shaji, Libin John, Jagadeeswari Kanagaraj, Jeevitha Devaraju, Ramesh Kumar Palayyan and Jenita Thinakaran

Abstract:
The pomegranate fruit, scientifically known as Punica granatum, is a fascinating and delicious fruit with a rich history and a wide range of health benefits including reduced inflammation, improved heart health and potential anticancer effects. Additionally, consuming pomegranate helps to lower blood pressure, enhances digestion and supports overall immune function. Pomegranate fruits are extracted to obtain valuable antioxidants and other beneficial compounds for various culinary, medicinal and cosmetic applications. In the present paper, the soxhlet extraction of pomegranate fruit with ethanol (99.9%) and methanol (99.8%) as solvent were studied. The oil extraction process was influenced by nature and amount of solvent used, the quantity of sample, temperature and number of hours. The extraction with ethanol as solvent at 65 and 75 °C, was carried out for 1, 3, 9 and 12 hours. Similarly with methanol as solvent at 60 and 65 °C for 12 and 24 hours. The highest yield of 82.66% (w/w) was obtained with 220 ml ethanol as solvent, under the conditions of 75 °C, when extracted for 12 hours. Whereas an oil yield of 80.58% (w/w) was obtained using 250 ml solvent extracted for 24 hours at 65 °C.