Fast microwave assisted extraction of rotenone for its quantification in seeds of yam bean (Pachyrhizus sp.)

The aim of this study was to find if fast microwave assisted extraction could be an alternative to the conventional soxhlet extraction for the quantification of rotenone in yam bean seeds by solid phase extraction and HPLC-UV. For this purpose, an experimental design was used to determine the optimal conditions of the microwave extraction. Then the values of the quantification on three accessions from two different species of yam bean seeds were compared using the two different kinds of extraction. A microwave extraction of 11 min at 55°C using methanol/dichloromethane (50:50) allowed rotenone extraction either equivalently or more efficiently than the 8h soxhlet extraction method and was less sensitive to moisture content. The selectivity, precision, trueness, accuracy and limit of quantification of themethod with microwave extraction were also demonstrated.