The most important factor that affects MAE process is solvent selection. A proper solvent choice will provide a more ef fi cient extraction process. Solvent selection depends on the solubility of the compounds of interest, solvent penetration and its interaction with the sample matrix and its dielectric constant [ 26 ] , and the mass transfer kinetics of the process [ 27 ] . The solvent should preferably have a high selectivity toward the solutes of interest excluding undesired matrix components. Another important aspect is that the optimal extraction solvents cannot be selected directly from those used in conventional extractions: it depends on the capacity of the solvent to absorb the microwave energy and consequently heat up [ 7, 8, 13, 28 ] .