Extraction of green absolute from thyme using ultrasound and sunflower oil

Absolute is the plant aroma isolate mostly used in the food and fragrance sectors. The use of organic solvents constitutes the most commonly used method for obtaining this aroma. However, this technique may leave trace amounts of solvents which are considered undesirable for these industries. In this work, a new green extraction approach was implemented using ultrasound (US) with sunflower oil (SO) as a natural solvent to produce green absolute from thyme (Thymus vulgaris). US optimal conditions for absolute yield were investigated using response surface methodology (RSM) and compared to conventional SO (SO-CV) and hexane (Hex-CV) extractions. The absolutes were analyzed by GC-MS for their chemical composition and tested for their antioxidant activities (total phenols, DPPH and frying test). Optimized conditions obtained by RSM for absolute yield were T = 50 °C, t = 22 min, P = 98 W. The US using SO as solvent offers important advantages: shorter extraction time, increase of 47% in absolute yield compared to SO-CV extraction. Although the absolute obtained by hexane extraction provided improved yield (8.64 g/100 g DW), it contained around 75% of waxy materials. GC-MS analysis showed no remarkable variation of the chemical composition of the absolutes compared to those obtained by hexane extraction. Moreover, the US extraction allowed the highest recovery of monoterpene phenols thymol and carvacrol (86.2%). The absolute obtained by SO-US was free from waxes and organic solvent residues and exerted the highest antioxidant activity. Results show that ultrasound extraction using SO is a good alternative. It suggests the possibility of the production of green absolutes on pilot and industrial scale

Rapid and Green Analytical Method for the Determination of Quinoline Alkaloids from Cinchona succirubra Based on Microwave-Integrated Extraction and Leaching (MIEL) Prior to High Performance Liquid Chromatography

Quinas contains several compounds, such as quinoline alkaloids, principally quinine, quinidine, cinchonine and cichonidine. Identified from barks of Cinchona, quinine is still commonly used to treat human malaria. Microwave-Integrated Extraction and Leaching (MIEL) is proposed for the extraction of quinoline alkaloids from bark of Cinchona succirubra. The process is performed in four steps, which ensures complete, rapid and accurate extraction of the samples. Optimal conditions for extraction were obtained using a response surface methodology reached from a central composite design. The MIEL extraction has been compared with a conventional technique soxhlet extraction. The extracts of quinoline alkaloids from C. succirubra obtained by these two different methods were compared by HPLC. The extracts obtained by MIEL in 32 min were quantitatively (yield) and qualitatively (quinine, quinidine, cinchonine, cinchonidine) similar to those obtained by conventional Soxhlet extraction in 3 hours. MIEL is a green technology that serves as a good alternative for the extraction of Cinchona alkaloids

"In situ" extraction of essential oils by use of Dean-Stark glassware and a Vigreux column inside a microwave oven: a peocedure for teaching green analytical chemistry.

International audienc

Isolation of volatils from maritime pine sawdust waste by different processes: Ultrasound, microwave, turbohydrodistillation, and hydrodistillation

This study concerns the transformation of maritime pine (Pinus pinaster) sawdust waste into potentially novel products through isolation of volatile compounds in the form of valuable oil. Different techniques, namely, turbohydrodistillation (THD), solvent-free microwave extraction (SFME), microwave hydrodiffusion and gravity (MHG), and ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) were tested. These different processes were compared to conventional hydrodistillation (HD) and allowed to extract almost similar yields of isolated oils. THD which consists in a permanent agitation during extraction and UAE improve the kinetics of extraction, but MHG and SFME required the shortest extraction times, 60 min to reach a maximal yield of 0.272 and 0.266% (w/w), respectively. The compositions of isolated oils are almost similar with a high proportion of oxygenated compounds for MHG and SFME, respectively, 56.9% and 54.5% compared with 37.7%, 44.1% and 34.1%, respectively, for THD, UAE, and for the conventional HD method

Downscaling of Industrial Turbo-Distillation to Laboratory Turbo-Clevenger for Extraction of Essential Oils. Application of Concepts of Green Analytical Chemistry

In the effort of innovation towards green analytical chemistry concepts and considering the six principles of green extraction, the industrial turbodistillation process was downscaled into a laboratory apparatus turbo-Clevenger (TC) for the extraction of essential oils. Turbodistillation is used as an industrial purpose for the extraction of essential oils from hard matrixes such as wood, barks, seeds. In this work, a TC and the conventional technique of hydrodistillation (HD, Clevenger apparatus) are used for the extraction of essential oils from three spices with hard structures(Illicium verum, Schinus terebinthifolius, and Cinnamomum cassia) and are compared. This study shows that the essential oils extracted by TC in 30 min were quantitatively (yield and kinetics profile) and qualitatively (aromatic profile) similar to those obtained using conventional hydrodistillation in 3 h. This process, which gave a reduced extraction time, was perfectly adapted to the extraction of hard matrixes

First Investigation on Ultrasound-Assisted Preparation of Food Products: Sensory and Physicochemical Characteristics

This paper presents a comparison between manufactured food products using conventional and ultrasound-assisted procedures. Three different foam-type products, chocolate Genoise, basic sponge cake, and chocolate mousse were prepared using both methods with subsequent evaluation of the samples using both sensory and physicochemical methods. Ultrasound-assisted preparations were considered superior according to the sensory analysis, and physicochemical data confirmed this finding. This approach of applying an emerging piece of equipment, with potential industrial application to assist food preparation, consists of a new technique that could be of great interest for the development of not only other food products created by molecular gastronomy but also for practical work carried out by students

FPGA Based Implementation of an Invisible-Robust Image Watermarking Encoder

Both encryption and digital watermarking techniques need to be incorporated in a digital rights management framework to address different aspects of content management. While encryption transforms original multimedia object into another form, digital watermarking leaves the original object intact and recognizable. The objective is to develop low power, real time, reliable and secure watermarking systems, which can be achieved through hardware implementations

Microscopic imaging as a tool to target spatial and temporal extraction of bioactive compounds through ultrasound intensification

International audienceUnravelling a chain of events in ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) of bioactive compounds from plants has to start with a detailed description of destructuration at macroscopic and microscopic scale. The present work aims to study the impacts and interactions of UAE on the extreme complexity and diversity of plants structures. Three plant species were selected for their difference in specialized structures and their spatial distribution of secondary metabolites: bitter orange leaf (C. aurantium L.), blackcurrant leaf (R. nigrum L.), and artichoke leaf (C. scolymus L.). Different microscopic techniques (Cyto-histochemistry, stereomicroscopic analysis, Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM)) have been used to understand the complexity of plant structures and to highlight ultrasound-induced impacts especially on metabolites storage structures, with a neat comparison with conventional “silent” extraction procedure. The main results indicate that spatial UAE impacts are strongly related to plant structures’ properties (morphology, thickness, etc.) and particularly to the nature and the chemical constitution of their storage specialized structures. From a temporal point of view, for all studied leaves, observed mechanisms followed a special order according to structures and their mechanical resistance level to ultrasound (US) treatment. Microscopic mapping of metabolites and structures should be considered as a decision tool during UAE to target intensification process

Chemical composition, antibacterial and antioxidant activities of six essentials oils from the Alliaceae family

Six essential oils (EOs) from the Alliaceae family, namely garlic (Allium sativum), onion (Allium cepa), leek (Allium porrum), Chinese chive (Allium tuberosum), shallot (Allium ascalonicum) and chive (Allium schoenoprasum) were characterized by GC and GC-MS and evaluated for their functional food properties. Antibacterial properties were tested on five food-borne pathogens: Two Gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 25923), Listeria monocytogenes (ATCC 19115) and three Gram-negative Salmonella Typhimurium (ATCC 14028), Escherichia coli (ATCC 8739) and Campylobacter jejuni (ATCC 33291) bacteria. Antioxidant and radical-scavenging properties were tested by means of Folin-Ciocalteu and 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assays. Garlic, Chinese chive and onion EOs had the highest antibacterial activity whereas shallot and leek EOs were the strongest antioxidants. Heating caused a decrease in the antioxidant activity of these Eos, as shown in the Total Polar Materials (TPM) test. Suggestions on relationships between chemical composition and biological activities are presented. Results show that the EOs could be of value in the food industry as alternatives to synthetic antioxidants