Development of cold plasma pretreatment ultrasound-assisted extraction for enhancing phenolic acids extractability from Salvia sclarea

[Display omitted] •Application of cold plasma treatment for the extraction of phenolic acids was effective•Increasing recovery by 51.32% by cold plasma treatment in 1 g of dried plant materials•Salicylic and salvianolic acid B amounts increased about 2 and 4 times by treatment•The importance of pretreatment was confirmed and emphasized in this study This research aimed to investigate the effect of cold plasma pretreatment on the ultrasound-assisted extraction of phenolic acids from the Salvia genus. In this study, Salvia sclarea L., a member of the genus, was selected as a source of phenolic acids. First, the powdered aerial parts of the plant were treated with cold plasma generated at atmospheric pressure, followed by ultrasound-assisted extraction of phenolic acids. These acids were then identified and quantified using HPLC analysis, and the results were compared with those from non-treated extracts. The findings revealed a significant increase in the total phenolic acid content in the treated extract, with values of 55.92 mg/g compared to 28.70 mg/g in the non-treated extract. Notably, salvianolic acid B and salicylic acid showed substantial increases, approximately 4 and 2 times higher, respectively, in the treated extract. Based on these results, cold plasma pretreatment effectively enhanced the yield of phenolic acids, which holds promise for industrial and large-scale applications. SEM images further illustrated the impact of cold plasma on plant materials, supporting the observed increase in phenolic acid content. These findings suggest that cold plasma pretreatment is an efficient, eco-friendly, and cost-effective method for improving phenolic acid extraction from plant materials.