A comparative study of the production of dried extract of Bauhinia forficata Link by the spray-dryer and the spouted bed processes.

Author(s)

Claudia Regina Fernandes de Souza

• Document type: Master's Dissertation
• Press: Ribeirão Preto.
• Institution: Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão Preto (PCARP/BC)
• Defense date: 2003-05-30

Examining board members

Demerval José Mazzini Sartori; Renata Fonseca Vianna Lopez; Florência Cecília Menegalli

• Advisor: Wanderley Pereira de Oliveira

Abstract

This work presents the development of an experimental methodology aiming to the production of standardized dried extracts of Bauhinia forficata Link. An experimental planning of three factors and three levels type Box-Behnken and multi-response analysis were used in the optimization of the extraction process. Two different drying processes were studied: the spouted bed and the spraydrying processes. The objective was the evaluation of the viability and of the performance of both dryers for the production of dry extract. The investigated parameters were the percentile ratio between the mass feed flow rate of extractive solution to the system by the evaporation capacity of the dryer, (Ws/Wmáx), the inlet temperature of the drying gas, (Tge), the position of the atomization system in the spouted bed (top spray and bottom spray) and the mass flow rate of the drying gas used in the spray-dryer, (Wg). The operational performance of the dryers was evaluated mainly by the productivity, thermal efficiency of the process, rate of volumetric evaporation, ratio between the mass of air used by the mass of evaporated water and by the product recovery rate. The dried product was characterized by the particle size distribution, particles morphology, moisture content, flavonoid degradation rate (chemical marker), and by evaluation of pharmacotechnical properties. The results reported show that the spouted bed process presented a significant superiority in all parameters evaluated relative to the spray-drying process, for the configurations and operational conditions investigated. These results lead to the conclusion that the spouted bed process is an alternative technologically viable for the production of dry extracts of medicinal Brazilian plants, presenting high thermal efficiency and productivity, yielding a product of high quality and commercial value. (AU)