Extraction Technologies for Medicinal and Aromatic ... - Capacity4Dev

EXTRACTION TECHNOLOGIES FOR MEDICINAL AND AROMATIC PLANTS
Figure 5: Batteuses
Pomades are processed during winter in cool cellars called
batteuses (Figure 5) made of copper and equipped with stirrers. Several
batteuses are arranged serially. The alcohol driven from one batteuse is
poured in second, third and fi rst washings of successive batteuses. For the
last washing, fresh alcohol is used. Extrait no. 36 is cooled in a refrigerator
to separate the fat. The exhausted fat is odorless and used for the manufacture
of soap. Complete concentration of extrait is done under vacuum at
low temperature to remove alcohol, producing absolute of enfl eurage which
is semisolid in nature. The fl owers removed from the chassis are extracted
with solvents (petroleum ether) and the concentrated residue is dissolved in
absolute alcohol. The fat is removed by freezing. This preparation is known
as absolute of chassis. Absolute of enfl eurage and absolute of chassis
logically supplement one another because each represents only part of the
total oil present in the fl owers but, due to cost difference, they are kept
separately.
4.5 Conclusions
In spite of recent technological development in the fi eld of
extraction, hydrolytic maceration, expression and cold fat extraction techniques
are inevitable for certain types of raw material. For these materials,
no substitutes are available at present, although hydrodistillation or solvent
extraction can be used for essential oils of citrus and fl ower oils or other
perfumery materials. Nonetheless, the real replication of essential oil or
the true natural fragrances present in these materials can only be produced
by expression and cold fat extraction. Only technological improvements for
easy extraction can be made without affecting the basic principles of these
processes.
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