Extraction of phenolic compounds from oregano using high voltage electrical discharges–sustainable perspective

Abstract

Summary The aim of the study was to observe the sustainability parameters of high voltage electrical discharge (HVED) as a novel technology for extraction of phenolic compounds from oregano. The life cycle assessment (LCA) of HVED was evaluated and compared with conventional extraction methods–infusion and maceration. The results showed that HVED extraction with nitrogen gave 2.19%–34.04% higher yield of phenolic compounds compared to infusion and 6.13%–90.95% higher yield compared to maceration, depending on the voltage and treatment time used for HVED. The environmental pillar of LCA, assessed by global warming potential, ranged from 1.130 to 4.635 kg CO2e for HVED samples treated with nitrogen and from 1.207 to 4.487 kg CO2e for samples treated with argon, which was mainly related to the duration of treatment. Other pillars of sustainability, namely society, economy, food safety and quality, were discussed. HVED was found to be the more sustainable technology (based on the results from LCA), with prospects for future scale‐up for the food industry.

Nonthermal food processing: A step towards a circular economy to meet the sustainable development goals

“…On the other hand, HPP was shown to have the least detrimental effect on the environment. Nutrizio, Režek Jambrak, Rezić, and Djekic (2022) compared the LCA of high voltage electrical discharge (HVED) to standard extraction procedures such as infusion and maceration. Depending on voltage and treatment duration, HVED extraction with nitrogen yielded 2.19–34.04 % more phenolic compounds than infusion and 6.13–90.95 % more than maceration.…”