Process and Product
This technology, developed by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC), provides the equipment, systems and methods for extraction and separation of multiple classes of phytochemicals from plant materials during a single extraction operation. Current development of the technology allows for extraction/fractionation of 1 kg batches of plant material. Depending on the extraction/fractionation desired, product yield can be up to 50% of plant material input with a return up to or exceeding a 95% pure extract. It is anticipated that, in the near future, the state of development will advance to 10 kg batches of plant material.

Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) has applied the technology to a wide variety of source plant materials and mixtures such as flaxseed, cow cockle, blackcurrant berries, parsley, sweet cherries, and fresh red grape skins. Source plant materials can vary and can be processed by various methods. Plant material can be fresh or dehydrated, and source plant materials can be homogenous samples, or mixtures of whole plant parts such as seeds, flowers, leaves, stems and roots. Source plant materials can also be disrupted and processed by grinding, shredding, chopping, pulverizing, compressing and macerating. In addition, key process conditions such as water temperature, pressure, and volume flow rate, have been determined and optimized for extractions of compounds including lignans, polyphenols, saponins and other phytochemicals.

Benefits
The technology is selective:
• By manipulating temperature and the properties of water, the processing system and its components operate to allow selective sequential solubilization and extraction of phytochemicals. The use of ultrafiltration separates compounds or components.

The method is safe:
• Traditionally, the extraction of bioactive compounds has been performed primarily using organic solvents which are hazardous substances that are are difficult to dispose of, are flammable, and toxic. Health regulations and public concern about the use of these chemicals in food and pharmaceutical product manufacturing have increased the interest in alternative safer and ‘greener’ methods of extraction. This technology which uses water is non-toxic, non-flammable and is environmentally friendly.

The method is clean:
• The method uses water, which can be cleaned and re-circulated for use in the extraction/fractionation process or used for other applications. Ultrafiltration used in the process could even render the water suitable for drinking. This clean and environmentally friendly process is in contrast with approved-for-food-use solvents such as ethanol and acetone which are difficult and expensive to dispose of and not environmentally friendly. In addition, organic solvents are toxic and not suitable for health promoting compounds.

The technology is economical:
• The volume of water used in this technology, is estimated to be approximately 10-20 times the batch size of the plant material and is more economical than the use of ethanol or acetone. In contrast organic solvents are often non-selective and expensive, at approximately 5-10 times the volume of batch size and with a cost range of $0.67-3.15/L. The extraction/fractionation process can also be done within a range of water temperatures, including temperatures significantly lower (55ºC to 100ºC) than the boiling point of water. With this technology, significant cost savings can be realized as the cost of raw material (water) and energy is reduced and because of the high-selectivity, cleanliness, and speed of the process. The speed of the process ranges from 10-20 minutes and is expected to be maintained or improved at scale up.

Business opportunities available:
• This technology provides licensing opportunities for the functional food ingredients, nutraceuticals, pharmaceutical, cosmetic and other bio-products manufacturing or other hydrophilic extraction industries.
• Industrial manufacture of the extraction/fractionation equipment and marketing of the process equipment are additional licensing opportunities.

AAFC is seeking collaboration with an interested party or parties for further product development and to license the patent(s) (publications detailed above) and its extraction/fractionation technology for commercialization.

Markets
The method, device and processing system provide extraction/fractionation of many novel high value compounds from plants. Plant species with commercial potential include flaxseed, cow cockle, blackcurrant berries, blueberries and parsley. Bioactive compounds have generated significant interest for their incorporation into functional foods, nutraceuticals, pharmacological applications, fragrances, etc.

It should be noted that these bioactive compounds are in very short supply and often sourced from European companies. For example, various flaxseed components provide a number of significant benefits to human health. As Canada is the largest producer of flaxseed in the world there is a ready supply of raw material for use in this process. Several flaxseed components show potential to reduce or even prevent various forms of cancer. Production of three of these bioactive compounds from flaxseed has been estimated in 2004 to have an annual commercial value of just under CAD$2million for 250kg of extract at 95-98% purification.

Extracts such as these have not been previously available in sufficient quantities to facilitate product development and testing programs for dosage requirements so quantities required for market demand are unknown.

Although care has been taken in the preparation of this material to be as accurate as possible the contents of this brochure are provided for information purposes only and neither Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) nor the inventor offer any warrant written or implied as to the accuracy of the said contents.

Scale up and economic assessment of this process requires further analysis.