Enhancing Bioactive Compound Yield from Chromolaena odorata L. through Microwave-Assisted Extraction: Influence of Solvent Type and Extraction Kinetics

Microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) was applied to Chromolaena odorata leaves to quantify solvent effects and optimize recovery of bioactive constituents. Ethanol-based MAE was optimized with a Box–Behnken design across microwave power (150–450 W), feed-to-solvent ratio (0.10–0.20 g/mL), and time (20–180 min), with 17 runs including five center points. Optimal conditions converged at 300 W, F/S 0.10 g/mL, and 180 min, yielding 3.38% (w/w). Kinetic profiles for ethanol and water were fitted to six models; the Power-law offered the best agreement, yielding the highest R2 values (ethanol: 0.9962; water: 0.9922) and the lowest RMSE values (ethanol: 0.0195; water: 0.0102). The GC-MS showed solvent-selective extraction: ethanol-enriched terpenoids (55.83%) and phenolics (13.58%), whereas flavonoids were only detected in water extracts. Collectively, response-surface-guided MAE at moderate power provides a selective route to enrich high-value constituents from and a simple kinetic descriptor for process control, supporting greener and potentially scalable extraction for downstream applications.