ECOLOGICAL APPROACH FOR EXTRACTING AND ANALYSIS OF VALUABLE COMPOUNDS IN AGRICULTURAL BY-PRODUCTS AND MEDICINAL PLANTS

• Grant number: 25/03036-3
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• Start date: June 01, 2025
• End date: May 31, 2028
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Chemistry - Organic Chemistry
• Principal Investigator: Daniel Rinaldo
• Grantee: Daniel Rinaldo
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Ciências (FC). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Bauru. Bauru , SP, Brazil
• Associated researchers: Cristiano Soleo de Funari ; Dario Arrua ; Gilbert Bannach ; Marina Piacenti da Silva ; Miriam Sannomiya ; Serhat Sezai Çiçek

Abstract

It is widely recognized in the scientific community that plants represent an abundant source of compounds with a broad diversity of chemical structures, many of which exhibit significant biological and/or pharmacological activities relevant to the development of medicines and materials. However, the extraction and analysis of these compounds often involve energy-intensive methods that use toxic solvents, leading to significant environmental impacts. This approach contradicts global sustainability efforts, such as those proposed in the United Nations' 2030 Agenda. In this context, this project aims to develop sustainable extraction methodologies and chromatographic analyses for pharmacologically and industrially relevant compounds in medicinal plants and agricultural by-products. The research proposes the use of non-polluting solvents and solvent-free techniques, combined with multiparametric approaches such as Experimental Design and environmental metrics, to optimize processes while balancing efficiency and sustainability. (AU)