| Grant number: | 08/03588-0 |
| Support type: | Regular Research Grants |
| Duration: | December 01, 2008 - May 31, 2011 |
| Field of knowledge: | Engineering - Chemical Engineering - Industrial Operations and Equipment for Chemical Engineering |
| Principal Investigator: | Wanderley Pereira Oliveira |
| Grantee: | Wanderley Pereira Oliveira |
| Home Institution: | Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão Preto (FCFRP). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Ribeirão Preto , SP, Brazil |
Abstract
This project is part of an research line having as objective the development and standardization of dried extracts from medicinal and aromatic plants. All stages involved in the obtainment of vegetable raw material to be used in the production of a phytomedicine are studied, including: plant harvesting, procedures for cleaning, drying and stabilization of the vegetable material, grinding and size classification of the herbal material, development and optimization of extractive process, extracts concentration, addition of drying carriers to the extractive solutions and further drying to obtain technological products (dried extracts and microparticles), and development of methods for physical and chemical characterization and evaluation of the stability of the dried product during storage. However, the obtaining and standardization of dried extracts of medicinal and aromatic plants is a complex task, mainly due to the possibility of occurrence of thermal degradation, transformation and/or losses of bioactive and volatile substances during processing (extraction, concentration, drying and storage). Changes in the composition of medicinal and aromatic plant products can lead, in many cases, to unpredictable consequences in the product quality and medicinal efficiency. The use of technological carriers (such as, adsorbents, binders, thickeners, emulsifiers, gums and starches) associated to microencapsulating techniques emerge as a valuable tool for the minimization of the losses of bioactive products during the production of dried extracts of medicinal and aromatic plants. Nowadays, the worldwide interest in the theoretical and practical aspects of the mechanisms involved in the retention of bioactive and/or volatile substances (essential oils) during the processing of aromatic and medicinal plants have increased significantly. Several studies on the effect of the type and concentration of technological carriers (wall materials) aiming the knowledge of their physical and chemical interactions and capacity to preserve bioactive compounds during processing have been reported. In this way, the main aim of this proposal is to study the influence of technological carriers and processing conditions (ex. Extractive methods, microencapsulating techniques, drying conditions) on the physical and chemical properties, retention and stability of bioactive and volatile compounds with medicinal interest during the production of dried extracts of medicinal and aromatic plants. In the Brazilian territory, in particular in the Atlantic forest, the Cerrado and Amazon rainforest, there are an immense biodiversity of medicinal plants. Thus, the results of this project may contribute for the development of these regions, through the generation of products and processes that lead to the development of industries that seek the rational and sustainable use of the natural resources. Other important contribution of this proposal is the technical and scientific formation of human resources for the sector of medicinal plants and phytotherapics. (AU)