INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGIES BASED ON MEMBRANES FOR CONCENTRATING EXTRACTS FROM OLIVE CAKES

Abstract

The aim of the paper is to concentrate extracts from olive cakes using innovative technologies based on membranes. Among the modern methods of purification and concentration of biologically active compounds (polyphenolic) in extracts are membrane technologies (microfiltration and ultrafiltration). These technologies, compared to all the other classics, have the advantage of separating, purifying or concentrating a certain compound in a single phase, cold, without the intervention of chemical reagents, with very low energy consumption. Concentrated extracts from olive cakes, obtained by membranes technologies, can be used as tanning and retanning agents, alternative to petroleum origin materials in leather industry. Olive cake is rich in polyphenolic compounds, fats, tannins, non-tannins, possible to be extracted, concentrated, chemical processed in view of developing a new tanning product. The use of new renewable materials from oil industry as biobased tanning material for leather industry represents an important step in lowering carbon footprint of both sectors and complies with circular economy principles. The antioxidant and antimicrobial properties of olive oil cake can be exploited in view of increasing the efficiency of the new product. The paper presents the concentration by membrane technologies and characterisation of five kinds of olive cake water and water-organic solvent extracts as future tanning-retanning materials.

Keywords

• membrane technologies
• olive cake extracts
• polyphenols
• concentrate extracts
• retanning materials in leather industry