Microwave-assistance provides very rapid and efficient extraction of grape seed polyphenols.

A microwave assisted extraction (MAE) method has been developed for the extraction of polyphenols from grape seeds of Vitis vinifera cultivars Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay. An initial five-factor (ethanol concentration in the extraction solvent, liquid:solid ratio, time, power and temperature), five-level orthogonal experimental array was designed and three factors (ethanol concentration in the extraction solvent, liquid:solid ratio and time) plus their best levels were chosen to optimise the extraction using a central composite rotatable design (CCRD) experiment. This revealed, after the use of response surface methodology, that the optimal extraction conditions were ethanol concentration (47.2%), liquid:solid ratio (45.3:1) and time (4.6min). Total polyphenols were determined by application of the Folin-Ciocalteau method. Sequential application of the optimal conditions to one sample revealed that approximately 92% of the total polyphenols were extracted in the first instance. In comparison with other extraction methods, MAE provided comparable or better extraction, but was very much quicker. One key finding was that varying the applied power to the extraction was essentially irrelevant; inspection of the applied power profile during extraction revealed that the power was strictly modulated to maintain a constant temperature in the reaction cell.