WP1 activities are focused on the pre-treatment of different cardoon fractions, i.e. seeds, roots and leaves, to extract oil, inulin and bioactive molecules, respectively.
Cardoon biomass was collected from Novamont’s plantation in Terni in different seasons.
Cardoon leave extracts (CLE)
Super Critical Carbon dioxide extraction (SCCO2) and patented Naviglio’s technology have been applied to extract both lipophilic and phenolic fractions from cardoon leaves . The extracts has been characterized for their composition and antioxidant potential, and further exploited in material functionalization. Further biological activities of the extracts has been explored within WP5.
Inulin from cardoon roots
Methods for efficient extraction of inulin from cardoon roots are setting up, by combining physical and chemical pre-treatments. The extracted inulin will be characterized and then tested as substrate for microbial fermentation processes aimed at the production of biopolymers and lactic acid (WP4).
Cardoon seed oil
The oil was collected by cardoon seeds with a thermostated mechanical press. This method is generally referred as “cold extraction” and it is able to preserve the composition of the oil. Extracted oil was characterized and supplied to WP2 for further chemical and/or enzymatic transformation.