Optimized Extraction of Onion and Garlic Oils Using Green Solvents

This project will be with All Natural Products Inc. (ANPI), who is a Canadian company focused on essential oil extract from natural herbal resources in Bolton, Ontario. These essential oils have applications in the food, flavor, nutraceutical, and pharmaceutical industries. ANPI have found that their current extraction methods do not provide a suitable yield of essential oils. This project will investigate the batch florasol extraction process of onion and garlic essential oil using green solvents within different range of temperatures and pressures.
Effect of extraction time, temperature, pressure, modifiers, flow rate, moisture content, shelf time, and particle size of the starting material will be investigated for development and optimization of the extraction process in batch and continues systems. The type, state (whole material dried or fresh), and treatment (ground, chopped, sliced, etc.) of starting material will also be examined which will have an effect on the extraction yield. This project will provide tremendous advantage to ANPI providing new opportunities to extract the maximum value from our low valued Canadian based natural herbal products.

Faculty Supervisor:

Paul Charpentier

Student:

Shima Ahmadi

Partner:

Anpi Canada

Discipline:

Engineering - chemical / biological

Sector:

Oil and gas

University:

Western University