Sustainable Extraction of Mangiferin From Mango Leaves Using Taguchi and Box-Behnken Optimization: Biochemical Characterization and Antioxidant Profiling

Abstract

Mangiferin (MGF), a bioactive C-glucosylxanthone predominantly found in Mangifera indica L., has attracted increasing interest due to its recognized antioxidant and pharmacological properties. In this study, an aqueous ethanolic maceration process was systematically optimized for MGF recovery from mango plant biomass using a Taguchi experimental design followed by Box-Behnken response surface methodology. The optimized conditions of 39.9°C, 8 h, and 80% v/v ethanol yielded 41.60 mg/g dry weight of MGF, confirming the robustness of the predictive model. Biochemical profiling of the optimized extract revealed 4.36 mg gallic acid equivalents/g dry weight of total phenolics, 73.12 mg/g of reducing sugars, and low protein content, indicating a phytochemical matrix enriched in glycosylated phenolics. Antioxidant evaluation by the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical scavenging assay demonstrated 87.74% radical inhibition at 400 µg/mL and a 50% inhibitory concentration of 225 µg/mL, reflecting strong radical scavenging capacity. Greenness assessment using the Analytical GREEnness metric approach software yielded a score of 0.72, validating the environmental compatibility of the proposed method. The results demonstrate that statistically guided aqueous ethanolic maceration represents an efficient, scalable, and sustainable platform for the recovery of MGF-rich extracts with potential pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, and cosmetic applications.