Liquid waste treatment

Process study / engineering Food and agrifood technology
Treatment process for aqueous extracts of plant origin with added biopolymers, and the spray powder obtained.
Procédé breveté

The waste water generated by olive oil extraction is a source of hydrophilic anti-oxidants that are highly sought after for cosmetics and health foods. With financial support from the Languedoc-Roussillon Regional Council, CIRAD has developed a simple process for recovering and exploiting the anti-oxidant phenolic compounds in liquid waste, and also in green coffee and artichoke aqueous extracts. It consists in adding a polysaccharide to the aqueous extract and spraying the mixture to produce a powder that contains the phenolic compounds encased within the polymer structure.

Features

  • The process serves to recover polyphenols such as tyrosol, hydroxytyrosol and chlorogenic acids, which are of high biological value.
  • Without treatment, such liquid waste is seen as a source of pollution, and its disposal is costly. This alternative process is therefore a worthwhile depollution strategy.
  • The process is simple and cheap.
  • The products obtained are stable in terms of time, quality and concentration.

How to get it

These anti-oxidant powders are excellent intermediate products for the manufacture of health foods and cosmetics. Anti-oxidants are known to be of interest for human health. They also slow deterioration of food and cosmetic products.

Cirad'Innov is looking for partners working in these sectors to promote these products on the basis of other tropical and mediterranean plants of interest.

See also