Systematic Design and Evaluation of an Extraction Process for Traditionally Used Herbal Medicine on the Example of Hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna JACQ.)

Abstract

Traditionally used herbal medicines are deep in the consciousness of patients for the treatment of only minor diseases by self-medication. However, manufacturers of herbal medicinal products suffer from major problems such as increasing market pressure by e.g., the food supplement sector, increasing regulations, and costs of production. Moreover, due to more stringent regulation and approval processes, innovation is hardly observed, and the methods used in process development are outdated. Therefore, this study aims to provide an approach based on modern process engineering concepts and including predictive process modelling and simulation for the extraction of traditional herbal medicines as complex extracts. The commonly used solvent-based percolation is critically assessed and compared to the so-called pressurized hot water extraction (PHWE) as a new possible alternative to replace organic solvents. In the study a systematic process design for the extraction of hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna JACQ.) is shown. While for traditional percolation the solvent is optimized to a mixture of ethanol and water (70/30 v/v), the PHWE is run at a temperature of 90 • C. The extracts of various harvest batches are compared to a commercially available product based on a chromatographic fingerprint. For the first time, natural batch variability was successfully incorporated into the physico-chemical process modelling concept. An economic feasibility study reveals that the PHWE is the best choice not only from a technical point of view but also from economic aspects.

Phytochemical composition and bioactivities of hawthorn ( Crataegus spp.): review of recent research advances

“…03, 33.16, 27.79, 21.88, and 21.71% at 100, 70, 50, 30 and 0% (water) concentration, however the highest TPC and DPPH • /ABTS •+ scavenging capacity was obtained in case of 50% (Kang, 2015). The technical and economic advantages of pressurized hot water (90 °C) extraction of C. monogyna compared to traditional percolation with ethanol and water (70:30, v/v) was shown by successful incorporation of natural batch variability into the physico-chemical process modelling concept (Sixt and Strube, 2018). Matrix solid-phase dispersion process was also suggested as a good alternative to the classic methods for extracting polyphenols from C. oxyacantha fruits and leaves, although phenolic profile was solvent-dependent (Benabderrahmane et al, 2018).…”

Model-Based Design and Process Optimization of Continuous Single Pass Tangential Flow Filtration Focusing on Continuous Bioprocessing

“…These diagrams show the general behavior like in Figure 2a, where the flux is measured against the transmembrane pressure (TMP) or strategies for optimization depicted in Figure 2b. While the investigation of process parameters like feed pressure, retentate pressure and feed flow are mentioned in several studies [41][42][43] this work focusses on the modelling of SPTFF units in order to reduce experimental efforts significantly and to find a robust operation optimum under QbD. This is performed based on experimental work, literature data, and design of commercially available modules.…”

Systematic and Model-Assisted Process Design for the Extraction and Purification of Artemisinin from Artemisia annua L.—Part IV: Crystallization

“…However, effects on kinetics and solubility caused by remaining side components need to be further investigated, as these may reduce the potential for cost reduction through yield losses. Moreover, the natural variability of plant material, which leads to different side component spectra, can affect the downstream process and is considered in conceptual process design [44]. If the critical side components are removed early, as in this study, process integration of the crystallization step provides an enormous potential for cost savings.…”

“…With the shift of the crystallization step to earlier stages, it becomes more affectable by the variability of the side component spectrum, which is a significant factor for plant-based material. For this reason, the critical impurities have to be determined and methods for batch variability of the plant material have to be used [44]. To crystallize artemisinin, those critical side components that increase the solubility have to be removed by preceding unit operations.…”