A New Approach for Process Development of Plant‐Based Extraction Processes

TLDR

Natural product demand has increased, requiring optimized manufacturing and accelerated process development for plant-based extractions, yet literature shows a need for new design approaches to translate academic research into industrial solutions. The study proposes a standard apparatus to assess governing process parameters for plant-based extraction processes. This approach integrates design of experiments, rigorous process modeling, and intensified collaboration among process engineering, botany, and analytical chemistry.

Abstract

Abstract Over the last few years the impact of products from natural sources in food, nutraceuticals, cosmetics, flavors/fragrances, and also the pharmaceutical industry has increased due to the consumer demand for nature‐derived products. Meeting this demand requires that existing manufacturing processes have to be optimized and process development for a variety of new products, sometimes with short life cycles, has to be accelerated. A scientific literature review covering equipment and modeling for plant‐based extractions shows an enormous demand for new approaches in process design for solvent extraction, isolation, and purification of ingredients from botanical sources and its transfer from academic research into manageable solutions for industrial use. An approach combining the design of experiments and rigorous process modeling on the one hand and an intensified collaboration between different disciplines including process engineering, botany, and analytical chemistry on the other hand seems to be the only way forward to address the current issues and shortcomings systematically and efficiently. Hence, a standard apparatus for the assessment of the governing process parameters for plant‐based extraction processes is proposed.