Production of polyphenol-enriched extracts from olive mill wastewater

Process study / engineering Food and agrifood technology
This patented process enables the treatment of olive mill wastewater, an aqueous co-product of olive oil production, to obtain a high value-added extract rich in polyphenols, with guaranteed levels of tyrosol and hydroxytyrosol.
Production of polyphenol-enriched extracts from olive mill wastewater

Production of polyphenol-enriched extracts from olive mill wastewater

Valorisation of olive mill effluents

Olive vegetation waters, effluents generated by olive oil mills and commonly referred to as olive mill wastewater, are considered a source of pollution and are costly to dispose of. However, they contain a range of highly valuable phenolic compounds with biological activities sought after in cosmetics and functional foods.

As part of a research collaboration with Institut Agro Montpellier and the company Grap’Sud, CIRAD has developed a simple and eco-friendly process to recover antioxidant phenolic compounds from olive mill wastewater. This process enables the purification and concentration of low molecular weight polyphenols, such as tyrosol and hydroxytyrosol.

This alternative process allows their recovery directly within olive oil mills. The composition of the resulting products demonstrates strong stability over time.

Stage Development

TLR9 - Technology Readiness Level

TLR9 - Technology Readiness Level

An advantageous polyphenol extraction process

Environmentally friendly in many respects, the process :

  • reduces costs associated with waste treatment;
  • generates high value-added products with strong stability;
  • can be adapted to other raw materials;
  • supports the valuation of local biodiversity;
  • opens up new market opportunities.

What markets for polyphenol valorisation ?

Through this public–private collaboration, the agri-industrial group Grap’Sud transforms these effluents into an additional high value-added resource. These co-products are marketed to Grap’Sud clients in the sectors of dietary supplements, functional foods and cosmetics.

Co-developed with Grap’Sud, the process applied to olive mill wastewater is under exclusive licence and currently reserved for this company. However, further opportunities remain for collaborations on new raw materials, particularly effluents and waste derived from tropical and Mediterranean resources.

Share your needs by contacting our Cirad’Innov teams in full confidentiality.

The research team
The QualiSud Research Unit, which brings together around one hundred staff members in France and abroad, works in the field of food processing, from post-harvest or post-slaughter processing to the evaluation of sensory quality, nutritional value, health benefits, safety and technological properties. The unit combines multidisciplinary expertise and the technical platforms required to address these issues. The optimisation of existing technologies and the design of new food processes are two complementary research areas within the unit.

References and intellectual property

Patent

An exclusive licence agreement has been signed with the company Grap’Sud for the exploitation of the patent.

Process for extracting phenolic compounds from olive mill wastewater and producing extracts standardised in olive and grape polyphenols :

Urban Nelly, Dornier Manuel, Pallet Dominique, Reynes Max. 2012. Paris : INPI, 22 p. N° de dépôt : 0900752, N° de brevet : FR2942224 B1, N° de dépôt international : PCT/FR2010/000137, N° de brevet international : WO2010/094860 A2, N° de brevet : PT2398756 T, N° de brevet : ES10708243 T, N° de dépôt européen : 10708243.0, N° de brevet européen : EP2398756 B1, N° de brevet : BRPI1008591 A2

See also