Density-oriented deep eutectic solvent-based system for the selective separation of polysaccharides from Astragalus membranaceus var. Mongholicus under ultrasound-assisted conditions

The water extraction and ethanol precipitation method is an extraction method based on the solubility characteristics of polysaccharides that offers wide applicability in the extraction and separation of plant polysaccharides. However, this method leads to large amounts of proteins, nucleic acids, pigments, and other impurities in the polysaccharides products, which makes downstream purification complicated and time-consuming. In this study, a green, high-density natural deep eutectic solvents was used for the high-purity extraction and separation of polysaccharides from Astragalus membranaceus (Fisch) Bge. var. Mongholicus (Bge.) Hsiao roots under ultrasound-assisted conditions. In this study, 16 different natural deep eutectic solvents were designed to screen the best solvent for extracting Astragalus polysaccharides (APSs). Based on the yield and recovery of APSs, a natural deep eutectic solvents composed of choline chloride and oxalic acid with a molar ratio of 1:2 was selected. The related factors affecting polysaccharides extraction and solvent precipitation were investigated. To improve the operating methodology, single-factor trials, a Plackett-Burman design, and a Box-Behnken design were used. The optimal extraction process conditions were obtained as follows: water content of 55%, liquid–solid ratio of 24 mL/g, ultrasonic irradiation time of 54 min, ultrasonic irradiation temperature of 50 °C, ultrasonic irradiation power of 480 W, ethanol precipitation time of 24 h, and ethanol concentration of 75%. Under optimal extraction conditions, the recovery of APSs was 61.4 ± 0.6 mg/g. Considering the special matrix characteristics of A. membranaceus var. Mongholicus roots, physical-technology-based ultrasonic waves promote penetration, and the mass transfer function also solves the bottleneck of high-viscosity deep eutectic solvents in the extraction stage. In comparison with the conventional method, the proposed method based on deep eutectic solvents isolation can significantly increase APSs recovery, which is beneficial to simplifying the process of polysaccharides purification by using solvent properties to separate extracts and reduce impurities in APSs.