High-Voltage Electric Discharge Extraction of Bioactive Compounds from Tobacco Waste

Abstract

Cilj ovog rada bio je istražiti učinkovitost ekstrakcije bioaktivnih komponenti iz duhanskog otpada potpomognute visokonaponskim električnim pražnjenjem s obzirom da ovaj tip ekstrakcije na duhanskom otpadu još uvijek nije istražen. Postupak ekstrakcije duhanskog otpada (duhanska prašina, duhansko rebro i refabrikat) proveden je pri različitim procesnim uvjetima: omjer tekuće/kruto (300:1, 500:1, 700:1 mL/g), frekvencija (40, 70, 100 Hz), vrijeme (15, 30, 45 min) kako bi se ispitao utjecaj uvjeta na sadržaj fenolnih komponenti te antioksidacijska aktivnost ekstrakata. Osim toga, tijekom procesa praćene su promjene temperature, pH vrijednosti i elektrovodljivosti. Na osnovu eksperimentalnih podataka dobivenih prema Box-Behnkenovom planu pokusa optimiran je proces ekstrakcije. Značenje predloženog istraživanja ogleda se u maksimalnom iskorištavanju nusproizvoda biljnog podrijetla, a u cilju dobivanja ekstrakata koji se mogu implementirati u druge proizvode i procese. Time je proces prerade duhana zaokružen i ne stvara se velika količina otpada koja predstavlja ogromno financijsko i ekološko opterećenje.The objective of this study was to investigate the efficiency of high voltage electric discharge assisted extraction of bioactive compounds from tobacco waste due to the fact that this type of extraction on tobacco waste has not been researched yet. Tobacco waste (dust, midrib and scrap) were subjected to an extraction process under various different experimental conditions: liquid-to-solid ratio (300:1, 500:1, 700:1 mL/g), frequency (40, 70, 100 Hz) and treatment time (15, 30, 45 min) in order to study the effect of these conditions on the content of phenolic compoounds and the corresponding antioxidant activity of extracts. Temperature change and change of pH value and electrical conductivity of samples after high-voltage electric discharge treatment were also observed. The optimal conditions for the extraction were determined by Response Surface Methodology using the Box-Behnken design. The merit of the proposed research is reflected in the maximum utilization of the by-product of plant origin, in order to obtain extracts that can be implemented in other products and processes. Thus, the process of tobacco processing is rounded up and amount of waste, which is a huge financial and ecological problem, is reduced