FRUIT SEEDS, SEEDS OF GRAPE AND CUCURBITACEOUS – A PROSPECTIVE SOURCE OF OBTAINING BIOLOGICALLY ACTIVE SUBSTANCES. OVERVIEW

Abstract

Republic of Uzbekistan is a major producer of agricultural products. The production of vegetables, grapes, fruits and berries, melons and gourds are increasing every year. The total volume of their production is approximately up to 16200 thousand tons per year. The seeds of these crops make up from 2 to 10% of the mass of processed raw materials, which are sources of valuable biologically active substances. The main method of obtaining oil (from apricot kernel, grape and melon seeds) is cold pressing, i.e. pressing carried out at a temperature below 60°C. Such oil immediately goes from the category of ordinary to the category of medicinal. At present, in Uzbekistan, the processing of apricot kernels, grape and melons seeds with the aim of to obtain high-quality vegetable oil is carried out on low-tonnage technological lines by the method of cold pressing. However, this method of processing raw materials does not provide the maximum yield of valuable vegetable oil and nutrients. Residual oilcake is not processed to obtain biologically active substances. The use of extraction as a method of obtaining these substances is not practiced. Unlike other solvents such as butane, hexane has the advantage of being virtually harmless to the user in ethanol extraction. Unlike the so-called "CO2-extraction", the extraction with ethanol can be carried out without the use of expensive equipment and subject to the correct technological regulations; the obtained extract can be of a very high-quality spectrum.  A scientifically substantiated methodology for the engineering calculation of a plant for the extraction of ingredients from plant materials with a low capacity, operating on an ethanol solvent, has not been developed, which shows the relevance of the development and implementation of such equipment in production.