Optimization of the extraction of antioxidants from winery wastes using cloud point extraction and a surfactant of natural origin (lecithin)

Innovative approaches in cloud-point extraction

Cloud-point extraction (CPE) is a pre-treatment technique for the extraction and preconcentration of different chemical compounds, such as metal ions, pesticides, drugs, phenols, vitamins etc., from various samples. CPE is based on the phenomenon of two phases (micellar and aqueous) forming after the heating of an aqueous isotropic solution of a non-ionic or zwitterionic surfactant above the cloud-point temperature. If analytes are added to the surfactant solution under suitable conditions, they should be extracted into the micellar phase, also called the surfactant-rich phase. Recently, the traditional CPE procedure is being increasingly replaced by improved CPE procedures. In this study, recent advances in CPE over the last three years (2020 - 2022), including the application of various innovative approaches, are reviewed. In addition to the basic principle of CPE, alternative extraction media in CPE, CPE supported by various auxiliary energies, a different modified CPE procedure and the use nanomaterials and solid-phase extraction in combination with CPE are presented and discussed. Finally, some future trends for improved CPE are presented.

Development of Enriched Oil with Polyphenols Extracted from Olive Mill Wastewater

The extraction of olive oil produces significant residual olive-mill wastewater (OMW). The composition of OMW varies according to the type of olive, the fruit's ripeness level, and the extraction method (traditional one-pressing system or continuous systems based on centrifugation of the olive pulp). In olive-producing countries, OMW is important for the environment and the economy and is also a low-cost source of polyphenolic compounds with high antioxidant properties. Olive oil's properties, such as its anti-atherogenic, anti-inflammatory, anti-aging, and immunological modulator effects, have been attributed to its polyphenols. In this study, the cloud point extraction (CPE) method was used to recover polyphenolic compounds from OMW. The total micellar phase of the three recoveries was 24.2% and the total polyphenols (after sonication) was 504 mg GAE/Kg. Furthermore, the addition of polyphenols recovered from OMW enhanced the olive oil and extended its shelf life without changing its organoleptic properties. There was a 42.2% change in polyphenols after 0.5% enrichment of micellar dispersions. Thus, it is suggested that the CPE method could lead to better waste management in the olive oil industry and improve the nutritional quality of food products.

Sustainable Green Processing of Grape Pomace Using Micellar Extraction for the Production of Value-Added Hygiene Cosmetics

This study sought to evaluate the possibility of using grape pomace, a waste material from wine production, for the preparation of cosmetic components. Following the existing clear research trend related to improving the safety of cleansing cosmetics, an attempt was made to determine the possibility of preparing model shower gels based on grape pomace extract. A new method for producing cosmetic components named loan chemical extraction (LCE) was developed and is described for the first time in this paper. In the LCE method, an extraction medium consisting only of the components from the final product was used. Thus, there were no additional substances in the cosmetics developed, and the formulation was significantly enriched with compounds isolated from grape pomace. Samples of the model shower gels produced were evaluated in terms of their basic parameters related to functionality (e.g., foaming properties, rheological characteristics, color) and their effect on the skin. The results obtained showed that the extracts based on waste grape pomace contained a number of valuable cosmetic compounds (e.g., organic acids, phenolic compounds, amino acids and sugars), and the model products basis on them provided colorful and safe natural cosmetics.

Economic aspects of waste recovery in the wine industry. A multidisciplinary approach

The complex composition of grapes as well as the quite large variations of each component affect the processing thereof differently and at the same time influence the yield in must, its quality and the wine product; they also influence production losses, along with the quality and quantity of by-products. Vinification wastes cause ecological problems because the neutralization and use of fermentative wastes mixed with different compounds present a danger to the environment and to the health of the population. The ecological measures of protection of the environmental factors are very important, especially the economic efficiency obtained through the recovery of the by-products. This paper focuses on the possibilities of using the by-products obtained from the wine making process, based on the fact that this drink is the most widely known in the world, with the highest percentage in terms of beverage production and implicitly with the largest quantity of by-products obtained. The valorization of these by-products leads to obtaining very valuable products both from a nutritional and industrial point of view. Experimentally, the aim was to determine the physical and chemical characteristics of different types of grape pomace and must sampled from a winery in Romania. Thus, the determination of total acidity, conductivity, pH, total content of phenolic compounds, total nitrogen and total content of pectic substances was aimed. The experimental values obtained have shown that grape pomace is a valuable by-product of the wine industry and its valorization demonstrates an important economic efficiency.