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Valortech offers research and consultation services
in following domains

01.

Development of effective technologies and processes for the valorisation of inevitably occurring by-products and non-standard raw material by converting them into high-value functional ingredients, including

02.

Development of advanced technologies focused on adding the extracted bioactive compounds to various food products

03.

Development of advanced technologies focused on applications of different extracted functional ingredients in various non-food products (e.g. eco-cosmetics, household chemicals, animal feed, etc.)

04.

Optimisation of processing technologies of various food raw materials/products to produce fewer by-products.

  • Drying/grinding (particular focus on by-products that can be used directly with very little additional processing);

  • Recovery of valuable micronutrients by extraction, fractionation and purification of various bioactive health beneficial  compounds (oil, protein, fibre etc.);

  • Application of biotechnological processes.

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Current research activities related to this range of topics:

​

  • Extraction methods of bioactive compounds, including steam distillation, microwave and ultrasound-assisted extraction, dynamic solid-liquid extraction, supercritical COâ‚‚ extraction and supercritical fluid fractionation;

  • Dehydration and concentration methods and technologies, including infrared - vacuum drying, spray drying, freeze-drying, rotary evaporation.

  • Increasing nutritional value and safety of various food products, including different encapsulation methods, technologies improving final product texture, sensory properties and nutritive value

  • Ensuring the stability of these ingredients during manufacturing.

Ongoing research activities feeding into this research avenue include research on:

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  • The nutritional quality and preservation of fruits and berries;

  • Developing methods of analysis of bioactive compounds in plant material and extending the industrial research;

  • Developing technologies for the usage of by-products or extracts in different food products.

  • Preservation of bioactive compounds in the end product;

​Targeted specifically for non-food industries: numerous by-products, ingredients and intermediate products from food processing are highly valuable for non-food industries; they may be used in the production of household chemicals, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals.

  • Exploring the use of food raw material by-products and bioactive ingredients of plant origin for a range of different purposes.

  • Analysing bioactivity changes of extracts of plant origin (incl. liquid, powder form, encapsulated) in water and oil-based matrixes (eg. analysing nettle extract polyphenols in oil extract in cosmetic creams)

Current research activities related to this range of topics include:

​

  • Assessing nutritional quality of by-products as an animal feed;

  • Usage of by-products in animal (especially dairy cows) feeding rations;

  • Usage of various compounds in 1) Eco-cosmetics; 2) Household chemicals; 3) Plant protection products (e.g. Fermented nettle); 4) Pharmaceuticals.

  • Optimising already existing technologies (involves analysing the feasibility of various (novel) processing methods);

  • Selection of raw material correspondingly to the final product or applied technology;

  • Selection of and putting into use new technologies for improved usage of raw materials.

Let's Work Together

Contact:

rajeev.bhat@emu.ee
tel: +372 731 3927
Kreutzwaldi 56/5–215

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