Optimization of ethanol reflux extraction process of red ginseng using a design space approach based on hazard and operability analysis

Abstract

Quality by design principle was used as a guideline in this study to optimize ethanol reflux extraction of red ginseng. Firstly, hazard and operability analysis(HAZOP) was used as a risk assessment tool to evaluate the hazard degree of process parameters.Ethanol concentration, the ratio of alcohol and herbal material (A/M ratio), and extraction time were identified as the critical process parameters(CPPs) according to HAZOP method.Secondly, Box-Behnken experimental design was applied to establish theregression models between CPPs and the process indices. Finally, the design space was calculated. The recommended operation space of parametersis as follows：alcohol concentration of 90.3%-90.7%, A/M ratio of 2.5-3.1 mL•g ⁻¹ and extraction time of 124-130 min. The study shows that the design space approach combined with the risk assessment using HAZOP has the potential to reduce the risk of red ginseng extraction process, which might ultimately improve the process control..