Bioactive Compounds Extraction Using a Hybrid Ultrasound and High-Pressure Technology for Sustainable Farming Systems
Florin Nenciu,
Viorel Fatu,
Vlad Arsenoaia,
Catalin Persu,
Iulian Voicea,
Nicolae-Valentin Vladut,
Mihai Gabriel Matache,
Iuliana Gageanu,
Eugen Marin,
Sorin-Stefan Biris,
Nicoleta Ungureanu
Affiliations
Florin Nenciu
Testing Department, National Institute of Research—Development for Machines and Installations Designed for Agriculture and Food Industry—INMA Bucharest, 013811 Bucharest, Romania
Viorel Fatu
Ecotoxicology and Bioresource Laboratory, Research and Development Institute for Plant Protection, 013813 Bucharest, Romania
Vlad Arsenoaia
Department of Pedotechnics, Faculty of Agriculture, Ion Ionescu de la Brad University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine, 700490 Iasi, Romania
Catalin Persu
Testing Department, National Institute of Research—Development for Machines and Installations Designed for Agriculture and Food Industry—INMA Bucharest, 013811 Bucharest, Romania
Iulian Voicea
Testing Department, National Institute of Research—Development for Machines and Installations Designed for Agriculture and Food Industry—INMA Bucharest, 013811 Bucharest, Romania
Nicolae-Valentin Vladut
Testing Department, National Institute of Research—Development for Machines and Installations Designed for Agriculture and Food Industry—INMA Bucharest, 013811 Bucharest, Romania
Mihai Gabriel Matache
Testing Department, National Institute of Research—Development for Machines and Installations Designed for Agriculture and Food Industry—INMA Bucharest, 013811 Bucharest, Romania
Iuliana Gageanu
Testing Department, National Institute of Research—Development for Machines and Installations Designed for Agriculture and Food Industry—INMA Bucharest, 013811 Bucharest, Romania
Eugen Marin
Testing Department, National Institute of Research—Development for Machines and Installations Designed for Agriculture and Food Industry—INMA Bucharest, 013811 Bucharest, Romania
Sorin-Stefan Biris
Department of Biotechnical Systems, Faculty of Biotechnical Systems Engineering, University Politehnica of Bucharest, 006042 Bucharest, Romania
Nicoleta Ungureanu
Department of Biotechnical Systems, Faculty of Biotechnical Systems Engineering, University Politehnica of Bucharest, 006042 Bucharest, Romania
In the context of agricultural soil degradation caused by the extensive use of chemical amendments, ecological alternatives with minimal detrimental impact on ecosystems are gaining popularity. Recent advancements in processing technologies have improved the quality and extraction efficiency of bioactive compounds, particularly when multiple conventional or innovative techniques are being used to potentially overcome the most common limitations. This paper proposes the development and testing of a hybrid technology design that employs two extraction techniques, namely ultrasound and high pressure, that can be used either separately or in tandem. An initial assessment of the prototype potential for isolating the desired compounds was made, by testing three various working regimens for the processing of a mixture of onion, pea, and soybean. By incorporating the bioactive compounds produced during the experimental phase in the seedling transplantation holes, we were able to test the potential of stimulating the development rate of vegetables and reducing the attack of pests. The extracts obtained using the hybrid technology showed positive results when used to reduce pest attacks (decreasing average attack frequency by 7%), however had negative effects when used to promote biostimulation, when acted as an inhibitor. The hybrid extraction approach improved the mass transfer into solvent by 14% when compared to high-pressure processing and by 7% when compared to sonication.
