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Gossypol is polyphenolic aldehyde, a toxic substance naturally present in cotton plant to protect it from insects, pests and diseases. Maximum gossypol is concentrated in the seed. After extraction of oil from the cottonseed, the defatted cottonseed meal which contains both the gossypol and proteinous matter is left behind. A number of attempts have been made using different solvents to extract gossypol from the seeds. However, all these efforts have remained in the realm of academic activity only as none of them could be commercialized. If a pilot plant or commercial scale plant is to be developed then the data on the kinetics and thermodynamics of the extraction process is required. In this study ethanol has been used as the solvent at temperature below 323K for removal of gossypol from the defatted seed. This study fi nds the effects of parameters viz. temperature, solvent to solid ratio (SR) and extraction time on the gossypol extraction effi ciency. The data obtained are used to establish the kinetics and thermodynamics of the extraction process.

Four leafy vegetable species, spinach (Spinacia oleracea), amaranthus (Amaranthus viridis), fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum) and bathua (Chenopodium album), were extracted with three different solvents (80% ethanol, 80% acetone and water) for maximum recovery of phenol and antioxidant compounds in the extract. The results of extraction were compared with extraction from moringa (Moringa oleifera) leaves that is known as a very rich source of antioxidants. The study showed that, it is very difficult to justify a single solvent for extraction of antioxidant compounds from different plants. Results from different solvents used for extracting the bioactive compounds mostly depend on the type of compound extracted (polar/medium polar/non-polar) present in leafy matrices. Here, 80% acetone extract showed highest total phenol content in moringa leaves but the overall antioxidant activity in the leaves of four vegetables was observed to be better after extraction with 80% ethanol. Nevertheless, in most assays, independent of solvent used for extraction, the moringa leaves were the richest source of polyphenols and antioxidants.