Agronomic and technological innovations for sustainable herbs cultivation and high quality essential oils extraction
The Operational Group InSole aims to diversify local flower and horticulture production with the introduction of herbs cultivation, promote sustainable production (organic and integrated) of common herbs species and the cultivation of species with high biodiversity conservation value (endemic species, local ecotypes) and increase farm income by the added value of herbs production and the introduction of on-farm biomass (own biomass and from orange processing leftover) use for the production of high quality essential oils.
Sustainable production of medicinal plants and development of guidelines for organic production in all stages of soil processing and for cultivation of high-value medicinal plants to preserve their biodiversity.
Development of a prototype of a chemical reactor for the extraction of essential oils assisted by a microwave reactor, to optimize the quality of the oils and minimize use of energy.
Chemical analyzes on new products to determine the protocol of use of the instrument and the most suitable field practices to obtain high quality.
Soil health control, thanks to the new SOILapp tool, developed as part of the European CAPSELLA project.
The management of processing, fertilization, irrigation and the optimal phenological phase for the extraction of essential oils will be suitably adapted to the local context with process innovations in the agri-food sector. In particular, irrigation and fertilization levels will be adapted to the local context to maximize the amount of essential oils extracted and minimize the use of non-renewable resources, in order to make water use more efficient. Irrigation will be programmed with the aim of minimizing the use of water. In officinal species, determining controlled water stress in specific stages of growth can guarantee water savings and induce a greater production of secondary metabolites by the plant. For the native species, selected for production by the GO, the quality and quantity of secondary metabolites accumulated as the phenological phase changes will be monitored to decide the optimal phase for harvesting and processing.
The GO intends to introduce in companies an innovative prototype of a chemical reactor for the microwave assisted extraction (MW) of essential oils based on a microwave technology (MW), already patented by the CNR in other fields of application, which uses immersion coaxial antennas. Microwave extraction technology is well known and it has undoubted advantages in terms of reduction of extraction times and energy saving. In the specific context of hydrothermal extraction of essential oils, using MW increases the extraction of oxygenated compounds, which are commercially valuable. However, commercial plants that take advantage of this approach are typically for laboratory use. The innovative approach proposed by INO-CNR does not have electromagnetic resonances in the reactor and allows the use of a virtually unlimited number of antennas in the same container, allowing for a barrier-free scale-up. The method is also compatible with magnetic or mechanical stirrers, temperature or pH probes, ultrasonic probes (US) for simultaneous MW / US treatment and so on, resulting in an extremely flexible and adaptable reactor.
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