Improvement yield of applewood (Feronia limonia) flavor extract by liquid-liquid extraction with dichloromethane solvent

Abstract Applewood (Feronia limonia) or ‘Kawista’ in Indonesia is a rare plant with a unique flavor. The research objective is to optimize the extraction process to get the best Applewood Flavor Extract (AFE) using a mono-factor design. Extraction was carried out in two stages; firstly, it was maceration with dichloromethane, glycerin, and alcohol solvents. Secondly, liquid-liquid extraction (LLE) with dichloromethane solvent. The best results are based on sensory values , and UV-Vis analysis on maceration alcohol (70%) is 18 hours with stirring. The best LLE at 12 hours was obtained from alcohol-dichloromethane (ALC-DCM) extract with a yield 28.55% fruit pulp base. The ALC-DCM extract was then analyzed by the chemical components of GC-MS, LC-MS/MS, and sensory of the Quantitative Descriptive Analysis (QDA) method. GC-MS analysis succeeded in characterizing 91 volatile compounds. LLE technique of ALC-DCM extract can increase the absorption of ester compounds by 66.67% compare with dichloromethane (DCM) extract. There are 30 organic compounds from LC-MS/MS analysis. The volatile chemical marker on ALC-DCM extract with Principal Component Analysis (PCA) is the ester, and the aroma marker from QDA is apple-like and vinegar.