In plant metabolism, metabolites in plant roots and stems are key carriers for exploring plant physiological functions and uncovering their application value. Homogenization is crucial for the efficient acquisition of these metabolites. Ultrasonic rapid homogenization technology for plant roots and stems, with its unique mechanism of action, overcomes the limitations of traditional homogenization methods, becoming a highly efficient solution in the field of metabolite extraction, laying a solid foundation for subsequent component analysis and application research.
The core principle of ultrasonic homogenization technology is the use of high-frequency sound waves to generate a "cavitation effect" in a liquid medium. When ultrasound acts on an extraction medium containing plant root and stem samples, it continuously generates microbubbles. These bubbles rapidly expand and burst under the pressure changes of the sound waves. The bursting releases enormous energy, creating a localized high-temperature and high-pressure environment, while simultaneously generating strong shock waves and microjets. This physical action efficiently impacts the cell walls and cell membranes of plant roots and stems, breaking down their tough fibrous structure and lignification barriers, allowing intracellular metabolites to be released rapidly and fully into the extraction medium, fundamentally solving the problems of "incomplete cell disruption and incomplete metabolite release" that often occur in traditional homogenization.
To achieve optimal results in rapid homogenization of plant roots and stems using ultrasound, three key operational points must be precisely controlled. First, the sample-to-medium ratio must be appropriate. The pre-treated roots and stems should be mixed with the extraction medium at a ratio of 1:5 to 1:10, ensuring complete immersion of the sample to provide sufficient space for the ultrasonic cavitation effect and prevent localized energy concentration that could lead to sample overheating. Second, precise control of ultrasonic parameters is crucial. Power and processing time should be adjusted according to the texture of the roots and stems: for soft herbaceous roots and stems, 500-1000W power can be used for 2-3 minutes; for hard woody roots and stems, the power should be increased to 1000-2000W and the processing time extended to 3-5 minutes. Intermittent processing should be used to prevent excessively high medium temperatures and protect heat-sensitive metabolites from damage. Third, post-homogenization processing is essential. After homogenization, timely filtration or centrifugation is necessary to separate residues from the extract, preventing unbroken tissue from further consuming or adsorbing released metabolites and ensuring extraction efficiency. Compared to traditional manual grinding and low-speed mechanical homogenization, ultrasonic technology offers significant advantages in plant root and stem homogenization and metabolite extraction.
Traditional methods require 5-10 minutes to process a single sample and rely on manual operation, easily leading to uneven fragmentation and significant differences between samples. Ultrasonic homogenization, however, can shorten the processing time to 2-5 minutes per sample and, through standardized parameter settings, achieve homogenization of different samples, significantly improving experimental reproducibility. More importantly, the cavitation effect of ultrasound can break down cells under gentle conditions, avoiding the damage to metabolites caused by the high temperatures of mechanical grinding. This is particularly suitable for the extraction of heat-sensitive active metabolites (such as alkaloids and flavonoids), significantly improving metabolite integrity and extraction rate. As plant metabolomics research moves towards precision and efficiency, the application prospects of ultrasonic rapid homogenization technology for plant roots and stems will be even broader.
In the future, by further optimizing ultrasonic parameters and combining them with novel extraction media, this technology will achieve greater breakthroughs in metabolite extraction efficiency and purity, providing stronger technical support for unlocking more value from plant roots and stems and promoting innovation in related fields.
