Distinct and Quantitative Validation for Predictive Process Modelling in Steam Distillation of Caraway Fruits and Lavender Flower Following a Quality-By-Design (QbD) Approach

Enhancing Essential Oil Extraction from Lavandin Grosso Flowers via Plasma Treatment

This study explores the impact of plasma treatment on Lavandin Grosso flowers and its influence on the extraction of essential oils (EOs) via hydrodistillation. Short plasma treatment times enhance the yield of EO extraction from 3.19% in untreated samples to 3.44%, corresponding to 1 min of plasma treatment, while longer treatment times (10 min) show diminishing returns to 3.07% of yield extraction. Chemical characterization (GC/MS and ATR-FTIR) indicates that plasma treatments do not significantly alter the chemical composition of the extracted EOs, preserving their aromatic qualities. Investigations into plasma-surface interactions reveal changes at the nanometer level, with XPS confirming alterations in the surface chemistry of Lavandin Grosso flowers by reducing surface carbon and increasing oxygen content, ultimately resulting in an increased presence of hydrophilic groups. The presence of hydrophilic groups enhances the interaction between the surface membrane of the glandular trichomes on Lavandin Grosso flowers and water vapor, consequently increasing the extraction of EOs. Furthermore, microscopic SEM examinations demonstrate that plasma treatments do not affect the morphology of glandular trichomes, emphasizing that surface modifications primarily occur at the nanoscale. This study underscores the potential of plasma technology as a tool to enhance EO yields from botanical sources while maintaining their chemical integrity.

Green Manufacturing for Herbal Remedies with Advanced Pharmaceutical Technology

Herbal remedies are in most cases still manufactured with traditional equipment installations and processes. Innovative chemical process engineering methods such as modeling and process intensification with green technology could contribute to the economic and ecologic future of those botanicals. The integration of modern unit operations such as water-based pressurized hot water extraction and inline measurement devices for process analytical technology approaches in traditional extraction processes is exemplified. The regulatory concept is based on the quality-by-design demand for autonomous feed-based recipe operation with the aid of digital twins within advanced process control. This may include real-time release testing to the automatic cleaning of validation issues. Digitalization and Industry 4.0 methods, including machine learning and artificial intelligence, are capable of keeping natural product extraction manufacturing and can contribute significantly to the future of human health.

Proposal of a New Green Process for Waste Valorization and Cascade Utilization of Essential Oil Plants

In this study, different unit operations for distillation, extraction, capturing and separation of essential oil components from essential oil plants are evaluated, on the example of limonene and carvone from caraway fruits. Hydrodistillation is the standard process for obtaining essential oils and leaves the distillation water (hydrolate) after phase separation of the essential oil and the distilled plant material (pomace) as waste streams. In this study, a process for the valorization of these waste streams, using different techniques, such as traps and pressurized hot water extraction, is developed, reaching high yields, with a plus of 35%, compared to established methods, and reducing the overall global warming potential of the whole process, as well as reducing the cost of goods by around 30%.

Development of a General PAT Strategy for Online Monitoring of Complex Mixtures—On the Example of Natural Product Extracts from Bearberry Leaf (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi)

For the first time, a universally applicable and methodical approach from characterization to a PAT concept for complex mixtures is conducted—exemplified on natural products extraction processes. Bearberry leaf (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi) extract is chosen as an example of a typical complex mixture of natural plant origin and generalizable in its composition. Within the quality by design (QbD) based process development the development and implementation of a concept for process analytical technology (PAT), a key enabling technology, is the next necessary step in risk and quality-based process development and operation. To obtain and provide an overview of the broad field of PAT, the development process is shown on the example of a complex multi-component plant extract. This study researches the potential of different process analytical technologies for online monitoring of different component groups and classifies their possible applications within the framework of a QbD-based process. Offline and online analytics are established on the basis of two extraction runs. Based on this data set, PLS models are created for the spectral data, and correlations are conducted for univariate data. In a third run, the prediction potential is researched. Conclusively, the results of this study are arranged in the concept of a holistic quality and risk-based process design and operation concept.

Pharmaceutical Applications of Supercritical Fluid Extraction of Emulsions for Micro-/Nanoparticle Formation

Micro-/nanoparticle formulations containing drugs with or without various biocompatible excipients are widely used in the pharmaceutical field to improve the physicochemical and clinical properties of the final drug product. Among the various micro-/nanoparticle production technologies, emulsion-based particle formation is the most widely used because of its unique advantages such as uniform generation of spherical small particles and higher encapsulation efficiency (EE). For this emulsion-based micro-/nanoparticle technology, one of the most important factors is the extraction efficiency associated with the fast removal of the organic solvent. In consideration of this, a technology called supercritical fluid extraction of emulsions (SFEE) that uses the unique mass transfer mechanism and solvent power of a supercritical fluid (SCF) has been proposed to overcome the shortcomings of several conventional technologies such as solvent evaporation, extraction, and spray drying. This review article presents the main aspects of SFEE technology for the preparation of micro-/nanoparticles by focusing on its pharmaceutical applications, which have been organized and classified according to several types of drug delivery systems and active pharmaceutical ingredients. It was definitely confirmed that SFEE can be applied in a variety of drugs from water-soluble to poorly water-soluble. In addition, it has advantages such as low organic solvent residual, high EE, desirable release control, better particle size control, and agglomeration prevention through efficient and fast solvent removal compared to conventional micro-/nanoparticle technologies. Therefore, this review will be a good resource for determining the applicability of SFEE to obtain better pharmaceutical quality when researchers in related fields want to select a suitable manufacturing process for preparing desired micro-/nanoparticle drug delivery systems containing their active material.

Fast and Flexible mRNA Vaccine Manufacturing as a Solution to Pandemic Situations by Adopting Chemical Engineering Good Practice—Continuous Autonomous Operation in Stainless Steel Equipment Concepts

SARS-COVID-19 vaccine supply for the total worldwide population has a bottleneck in manufacturing capacity. Assessment of existing messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) vaccine processing shows a need for digital twins enabled by process analytical technology approaches in order to improve process transfer for manufacturing capacity multiplication, a reduction in out-of-specification batch failures, qualified personal training for faster validation and efficient operation, optimal utilization of scarce buffers and chemicals and speed-up of product release by continuous manufacturing. In this work, three manufacturing concepts for mRNA-based vaccines are evaluated: Batch, full-continuous and semi-continuous. Technical transfer from batch single-use to semi-continuous stainless-steel, i.e., plasmid deoxyribonucleic acid (pDNA) in batch and mRNA in continuous operation mode, is recommended, in order to gain: faster plant commissioning and start-up times of about 8–12 months and a rise in dose number by a factor of about 30 per year, with almost identical efforts in capital expenditures (CAPEX) and personnel resources, which are the dominant bottlenecks at the moment, at about 25% lower operating expenses (OPEX). Consumables are also reduceable by a factor of 6 as outcome of this study. Further optimization potential is seen at consequent digital twin and PAT (Process Analytical Technology) concept integration as key-enabling technologies towards autonomous operation including real-time release-testing.

Towards Autonomous Operation by Advanced Process Control—Process Analytical Technology for Continuous Biologics Antibody Manufacturing

Continuous manufacturing opens up new operation windows with improved product quality in contrast to documented lot deviations in batch or fed-batch operations. A more sophisticated process control strategy is needed to adjust operation parameters and keep product quality constant during long-term operations. In the present study, the applicability of a combination of spectroscopic methods was evaluated to enable Advanced Process Control (APC) in continuous manufacturing by Process Analytical Technology (PAT). In upstream processing (USP) and aqueous two-phase extraction (ATPE), Raman-, Fourier-transformed infrared (FTIR), fluorescence- and ultraviolet/visible- (UV/Vis) spectroscopy have been successfully applied for titer and purity prediction. Raman spectroscopy was the most versatile and robust method in USP, ATPE, and precipitation and is therefore recommended as primary PAT. In later process stages, the combination of UV/Vis and fluorescence spectroscopy was able to overcome difficulties in titer and purity prediction induced by overlapping side component spectra. Based on the developed spectroscopic predictions, dynamic control of unit operations was demonstrated in sophisticated simulation studies. A PAT development workflow for holistic process development was proposed.

Digital Twin for Lyophilization by Process Modeling in Manufacturing of Biologics

Lyophilization stabilizes formulated biologics for storage, transport and application to patients. In process design and operation it is the link between downstream processing and with final formulation to fill and finish. Recent activities in Quality by Design (QbD) have resulted in approaches by regulatory authorities and the need to include Process Analytical Technology (PAT) tools. An approach is outlined to validate a predictive physical-chemical (rigorous) lyophilization process model to act quantitatively as a digital twin in order to allow accelerated process design by modeling and to further-on develop autonomous process optimization and control towards real time release testing. Antibody manufacturing is chosen as a typical example for actual biologics needs. Literature is reviewed and the presented procedure is exemplified to quantitatively and consistently validate the physical-chemical process model with aid of an experimental statistical DOE (design of experiments) in pilot scale.

Digital Twin for Extraction Process Design and Operation

Traditional extraction processes of natural product are widespread, especially in regulated industries. Possibilities of extraction development and manufacturing optimization in regulated industries is limited. Regulatory approvals are often based on traditional preparations of phyto-pharmaceuticals. The dependence on traditional processes can result in sub-optimal extraction parameters causing unnecessary costs and product variability. Innovative methods like Quality-by-Design (QbD), including process analytical technology (PAT), open opportunities for manufacturers to cope with regulatory demanded, narrow batch-to-batch variability. In addition, such validated process models represent perfect digital twins which could be utilized for advanced process control and life cycle analysis.