Comparative methods of soxhletation and boiling for the isolation of caffeine from tea leaves

Muhammad Badrul Huda; Fitra Adi  Prayogo

doi:10.34310/jbsh.v2.i1.199

Authors

Muhammad Badrul Huda Departemen Kimia, Fakultas Sains dan Matematika, Universitas Diponegoro, Semarang, Indoensia Author https://orcid.org/0009-0003-0464-5543
Fitra Adi Prayogo Program Studi Ilmu Biomedis, Fakultas Ilmu Keperawatan dan Kesehatan, Universitas Karya Husada Semarang, Indonesia Author https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4354-2654

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.34310/jbsh.v2.i1.199

Keywords:

Caffeine, Tea Leaves, Soxhlet Extraction, Boiling Method, Crystallization

Abstract

Background: Tea (Camellia sinensis) contains caffeine that is widely used in the beverage, food, and pharmaceutical industries, making the selection of an appropriate isolation method essential for obtaining caffeine with optimal yield and purity. Aim: This study aimed to isolate and purify caffeine from tea leaves using two extraction methods, soxhletation and boiling, and to compare the yield and purity of caffeine produced by each method. Methods: Caffeine was extracted through two pathways: soxhletation with an ethanol-water solvent (70:30 v/v) for 6 hours and boiling with distilled water for 90 minutes, followed by chloroform solvent extraction for the boiling filtrate, then crystallization and recrystallization. Purity was assessed by how closely the melting point of the crystals matched the literature value for pure caffeine. Results: The boiling method produced a yield of 0.38% with a melting point of 235°C, close to the literature value (234–236°C), while the soxhletation method produced a yield of 0.008% with a melting point of 210°C. Crystals from the boiling method were white-green, whereas those from soxhletation were orange-brown. Conclusion: The boiling method proved superior to soxhletation in both yield and purity of the caffeine obtained, making it the more suitable choice for caffeine isolation from tea leaves under the conditions of this study.

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