Malays. J. Anal. Sci. Volume 29 Number 6 (2025): 1669

 

Research Article

 

Quantification of flavonoids in papaya leaves under combined microwave and solvent extraction techniques: LC-TOF-MS analysis

 

Izni Atikah Abd Hamid1*, Arif Zaidi Jusoh2, Nazlina Zulbadli1, and Hadijah Hassan2

 

1Centre for Green Bioprocess Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Built Environment and Information Technology, SEGi University, Jalan Teknologi, Kota Damansara, 47810 Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia

2Food Science and Technology Research Centre, MARDI Headquarters, Persiaran MARDI-UPM, 43400 Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia

 

*Corresponding author: iznihamid@segi.edu.my

 

Received: 1 September 2025; Revised: 23 October 2025; Accepted: 29 October 2025; Published: 28 December 2025

 

Abstract

Carica papaya leaves are a rich source of flavonoids, which have been reported to have anticancer, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. Previous extraction methods, such as supercritical carbon dioxide and solvent extraction, have limitations, including low flavonoid yield and high solvent or time requirements. Therefore, this study integrated microwave pretreatment with solvent extraction (MSE) to enhance recovery efficiency while reducing processing time and solvent consumption. The aim was to optimize the extraction parameters for maximum total flavonoid content (TFC) yield and to characterize its flavonoid compounds. TFC quantification was performed spectrophotometrically using quercetin as the standard. A single-factor experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of individual parameters of particle size (0.425 - 1.180 mm), microwave power (100 - 500 W), solvent type (methanol, ethanol, acetone, chloroform and water), solid-liquid ratio (1:10 - 1:30), and extraction time (1- 8 h) on TFC. The highest TFC of 37.94 mg QE/g DS was obtained under optimum conditions: 0.425 mm particle size, 300 W microwave power, ethanol as the solvent, 1:15 solid-liquid ratio, and 3 hours of extraction time. LC-TOF-MS analysis revealed 5 major flavonoids: isobavachalcone, sakuranin, kaempferol 3-O-beta-D-glucosylgalactoside, kaempferol-3-O-rutinoside and 7-hydroxy-2,4,5-trimethoxyisoflavone. This study demonstrates that optimized MSE is a simple, scalable and energy-efficient approach for isolating valuable flavonoids from C. papaya leaves with potential industrial and pharmaceutical applications.

 

Keywords: flavonoid, combined microwave and solvent extraction, papaya leaves, TFC, LC-TOF-MS

 

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