Natural Product Extraction

Natural products are sought after by the food, pharmaceutical and cosmetics industries, and research continues into their potential for new applications. Extraction of natural products in an economic and environmentally-friendly way is of high importance to all industries involved. This book presents a holistic and in-depth view of the techniques available for extracting natural products, with modern and more environmentally-benign methods, such as ultrasound and supercritical fluids discussed alongside conventional methods. Examples and case studies are presented, along with the decision-making process needed to determine the most appropriate method. Where appropriate, scale-up and process integration is discussed. Relevant to researchers in academia and industry, and students aiming for either career path, Natural Product Extraction presents a handy digest of the current trends and latest developments in the field with concepts of Green Chemistry in mind.

Extraction processes are essential steps in numerous industrial applications from perfume over pharmaceutical to fine chemical industry. Nowadays, there are three key aspects in industrial extraction processes: economy and quality, as well as environmental considerations. This book presents a complete picture of current knowledge on green extraction in terms of innovative processes, original methods, alternative solvents and safe products, and provides the necessary theoretical background as well as industrial application examples and environmental impacts. Each chapter is written by experts in the field and the strong focus on green chemistry throughout the book makes this book a unique reference source. This book is intended to be a first step towards a future cooperation in a new extraction of natural products, built to improve both fundamental and green parameters of the techniques and to increase the amount of extracts obtained from renewable resources with a minimum consumption of energy and solvents, and the maximum safety for operators and the environment.

The aim of this book is to present the current state of the art of extracting natural products with near-critical solvents and to view the possibilities of further extensions of the technique. Relevant background theory is given but does not dominate the book. Carbon dioxide is the near-critical solvent used in most recent applications and inevitably receives prominence. In addition to general descriptions and reviews, the book contains three chapters by indus trial practitioners who describe in detail the operation of their processes and discuss the market for their products. Sections on the design of the pressure vessels and pumps required in these processes and on the acquisition of the data required for design are included. The costing of the processes is also discussed. There is good scope for combining a near-critical extraction step with other process steps in which the properties of near-critical solvents are utilised, for example as a reaction or crystallisation medium and a chapter is devoted to these important aspects. It is hoped that the work will be found to contain a great deal of specific information of use to those already familiar with this field. However the style of presentation and content is such that it will also be useful as an introduction. In particular it will be helpful to those wondering if this form of separation method has anything to offer for them, whether they are engineers, chemists or managers in industry, or in academic or research institutions.

Covering the latest technologies in process engineering, this handbook and ready reference features high pressure processing, alternative solvents and processes, extraction technologies and biotransformations -- describing greener, more efficient and sustainable techniques. The result is an expert account of engineering details from lab-scale experiments to large-scale industrial design. The major focus is on the engineering aspects of extraction with organic and supercritical solvents, ionic liquids or surfactant solutions, and is supplemented by aspects of both up- and downstream processing, biotransformation, as well as a survey of typical products in food, pharmaceutical and cosmetic applications. This is rounded off by market developments, economic considerations and regulations requirements in the field Authored by experts from leading industrial and academic institutions, this is essential reading for the hands-on scientist and office manager alike.

This book presents a complete picture of the current state-of-the-art in alternative and green solvents used for laboratory and industrial natural product extraction in terms of the latest innovations, original methods and safe products. It provides the necessary theoretical background and details on extraction, techniques, mechanisms, protocols, industrial applications, safety precautions and environmental impacts. This book is aimed at professionals from industry, academicians engaged in extraction engineering or natural product chemistry research, and graduate level students. The individual chapters complement one another, were written by respected international researchers and recognized professionals from the industry, and address the latest efforts in the field. It is also the first sourcebook to focus on the rapid developments in this field.

The term “natural products” spans an extremely large and diverse range of chemical compounds derived and isolated from biological sources. Our interest in natural products can be traced back thousands of years for their usefulness to humankind, and this continues to the present day. Compounds and extracts derived from the biosphere have found uses in medicine, agriculture, cosmetics, and food in ancient and modern societies around the world. Therefore, the ability to access natural products, understand their usefulness, and derive applications has been a major driving force in the field of natural product research. The first edition of Natural Products Isolation provided readers for the first time with some practical guidance in the process of extraction and isolation of natural products and was the result of Richard Cannell’s unique vision and tireless efforts. Unfortunately, Richard Cannell died in 1999 soon after completing the first edition. We are indebted to him and hope this new edition pays adequate tribute to his excellent work. The first edition laid down the “ground rules” and established the techniques available at the time. Since its publication in 1998, there have been significant developments in some areas in natural product isolation. To capture these developments, publication of a second edition is long overdue, and we believe it brings the work up to date while still covering many basic techniques known to save time and effort, and capable of results equivalent to those from more recent and expensive techniques.

Natural Products Isolation provides a comprehensive introduction to techniques for the extraction and purification of natural products from all biological sources. Geared to scientists with little experience of natural products extraction, but offering even skilled researchers valuable advice and insight, Natural Products Isolation lays the foundation for the potential extractor to isolate natural substances efficiently. Its methods and guidance will almost certainly play a major role in today's natural product discovery and development.

With increasing energy prices and the drive to reduce CO2 emissions, food industries are challenged to find new technologies in order to reduce energy consumption, to meet legal requirements on emissions, product/process safety and control, and for cost reduction and increased quality as well as functionality. Extraction is one of the promising innovation themes that could contribute to sustainable growth in the chemical and food industries. For example, existing extraction technologies have considerable technological and scientific bottlenecks to overcome, such as often requiring up to 50% of investments in a new plant and more than 70% of total process energy used in food, fine chemicals and pharmaceutical industries. These shortcomings have led to the consideration of the use of new "green" techniques in extraction, which typically use less solvent and energy, such as microwave extraction. Extraction under extreme or non-classical conditions is currently a dynamically developing area in applied research and industry. Using microwaves, extraction and distillation can now be completed in minutes instead of hours with high reproducibility, reducing the consumption of solvent, simplifying manipulation and work-up, giving higher purity of the final product, eliminating post-treatment of waste water and consuming only a fraction of the energy normally needed for a conventional extraction method. Several classes of compounds such as essential oils, aromas, anti-oxidants, pigments, colours, fats and oils, carbohydrates, and other bioactive compounds have been extracted efficiently from a variety of matrices (mainly animal tissues, food, and plant materials). The advantages of using microwave energy, which is a non-contact heat source, includes more effective heating, faster energy transfer, reduced thermal gradients, selective heating, reduced equipment size, faster response to process heating control, faster start-up, increased production, and elimination of process steps. This book will present a complete picture of the current knowledge on microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) of bioactive compounds from food and natural products. It will provide the necessary theoretical background and details about extraction by microwaves, including information on the technique, the mechanism, protocols, industrial applications, safety precautions, and environmental impacts.