Researchers Develop a Method to Retrieve the Sugar in Olive Pits

The high quality of the raw material, mostly glucose, allows its use in food and pharmaceutical applications.
By Paolo DeAndreis
Jan. 21, 2021 12:22 UTC

Eighty-three perĀ­cent of the sugar found in olive pits can be effiĀ­ciently retrieved and, thanks to the high qualĀ­ity of the raw mateĀ­rĀ­ial extracted, it can then be used in sevĀ­eral difĀ­ferĀ­ent indusĀ­trial processes.

Researchers at the University of JaĆ©n has devised a new method they believe will appeal to the food and pharĀ­maĀ­ceuĀ­tiĀ­cal indusĀ­try as well as the bioĀ­fuĀ­els secĀ­tor.

In a note pubĀ­lished by the University, researchers explained that those results depend on a two-step proĀ­ceĀ­dure: An acid soluĀ­tion is used to sepĀ­aĀ­rate the conĀ­tents of the olive pit before the chemĀ­iĀ­cal bonds are broĀ­ken down so that the new comĀ­pounds may emerge.

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ā€œThis techĀ­nique saves most of the sugĀ­ars involved, and that means a greater potenĀ­tial for the derived bioĀ­logĀ­iĀ­cal prodĀ­ucts,ā€ explained Eulogio Castro, co-author of the study pubĀ­lished by the Industrial Crops and Products jourĀ­nal.

More specifĀ­iĀ­cally, the gluĀ­cose retrieved by the new proĀ­ceĀ­dure is transĀ­formed into derived bio-prodĀ­ucts among which the sciĀ­enĀ­tists cited bio-ethanol, an effiĀ­cient bio-fuel comĀ­pound, xylĀ­iĀ­tol, a widely used sweetĀ­ener, and lacĀ­tic acid, which is a base for the proĀ­ducĀ­tion of sevĀ­eral macro-molĀ­eĀ­cules.

ā€œAs a result of the comĀ­bined preĀ­treatĀ­ment under the selected operĀ­aĀ­tion conĀ­diĀ­tions,ā€ the researchers reported, ā€‹ā€œan overĀ­all sugar proĀ­ducĀ­tion yield of 83 perĀ­cent of the total sugar conĀ­tent in raw olive stones can be obtained, takĀ­ing into account the difĀ­ferĀ­ent sugar streams genĀ­erĀ­ated along the whole process.ā€

The next step for the engiĀ­neers and researchers is to apply the new method to much higher volĀ­umes of olive pits. The proĀ­ceĀ­dure will be inteĀ­grated within a bio-refinĀ­ery plant where traĀ­diĀ­tional energy sources are subĀ­stiĀ­tuted by renewĀ­able sources.

The study is part of a three-year-long project carĀ­ried out in Madrid by the CIEMAT (Centre for Energy, Environmental and Technological Research) titled ā€‹ā€œProgress towards a flexĀ­iĀ­ble bio-refinĀ­ery of raw mateĀ­riĀ­als and prodĀ­ucts in regions with a high denĀ­sity of agro-indusĀ­trial bioĀ­mass: case of the olive grove.ā€



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