Phase Diagram-Enabled Curcumin Isolation and Purification by Utilizing Resorcinol as Cocrystal Former and Additive.

Area of Science:

• Chemical Engineering
• Crystallization Science
• Natural Product Chemistry

Background:

• Purification of active compounds from natural sources like turmeric is challenging.
• Cocrystallization offers a novel approach for compound purification.
• Curcumin, a key compound in turmeric, requires efficient purification methods.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate cocrystallization as a purification technique for curcumin.
• To determine the optimal conditions for curcumin-resorcinol cocrystal formation.
• To develop a scalable process for high-purity curcumin production.

Main Methods:

• Construction of a ternary phase diagram for curcumin-resorcinol-ethanol.
• Multi-stage cocrystal formation and dissociation processes.
• Antisolvent addition and evaporative crystallization for coformer recycling.

Main Results:

• Achieved 96.06 ± 1.19 wt% curcumin purity with a 0.26 ± 0.02 wt% overall yield.
• Demonstrated successful coformer recycling with up to 80.6 ± 1.40 wt% recovery.
• Showcased a simplified method using resorcinol as an additive, yielding 85.3 ± 2.0 wt% purity.

Conclusions:

• Cocrystallization is a viable and efficient method for purifying curcumin.
• Process optimization allows for high purity and yield, with effective coformer recovery.
• The developed methods offer advantages over traditional purification techniques.