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The results of Biorefinery project presented in the GA congress
The 70th International Congress and Annual Meeting of the Society for Medicinal Plant and Natural Product Research (GA) was held in Thessaloniki, Greece, from 28 to 31 August this year. The aim of the annual congress is to broaden the existing knowledge and gain new experience in the field of natural substances, their products and research, as well as to establish new contacts with the industry in other countries.
The results of the ERDF-funded project “A biorefinery approach for the development of bioactive cosmetic ingredients from by-products of medicinal plant processing and plant cell cultivation” (1.1.1.1/19/A/075) were also presented at the congress.
Dr. Ilva Nakurte, the leading researcher and head of the chemistry laboratory at the Institute for Environmental Solutions (IES) presented the results of research “Valorization of bioactive compounds from Matricaria recutita essential oil distillation process by-products”. One of the main conclusions to be drawn from the evaluation of the results is that the waste left over after the treatment of chamomile plants is still rich in waxes, essential oils, herniarin and umbelliferone, which are often used in the cosmetic industry because their UV absorption and antioxidant properties.
IES leading researcher Dr. Ilva Nakurte. Photo: IES
Anna Ramata-Stunda, researcher at SIA “Alternative Plants”, gave an insight into the chemical composition of cell culture products and by-products of the common juniper (Juniperus communis) and the northern dragonhead (Dracocephalum ruyschiana), compared the efficiency of different solvents for extracting active compounds and evaluated the bioactivity of these plant cell cultures. The title of her presentation – “Cell cultures of Dracocephalum ruyschiana and Juniperus communis – valuable sources of skin protecting and regenerating compounds”.
Mārtiņš Borodušķis, researcher at SIA “Alternative Plants” presented the results of in vitro experiments on the activity of Juniperus communis cell culture derived extracts for skin protection and regeneration. The title of his presentation – “Juniperus communis cell culture derived extracts for skin protection and regeneration”.
The above-mentioned studies demonstrate high potential for the usage of these plant cell cultures in the development of cosmetic ingredients.
Researchers at SIA "Alternative plants" – Mārtiņš Borodušķis and Anna Ramata-Stunda. Photo: IES.
Researcher Anna Ramata-Stunda. Photo: IES.
Summaries of presentations can be found in the conference book of abstracts:
Research “A biorefinery approach for the development of bioactive cosmetic ingredients from by-products of medicinal plant processing and plant cell cultivation” (1.1.1.1/19/A/075) is developed as a part of the European Regional Development Fund programme 1 .1.1.1 measure “Support for applied research” and specific objective 1.1.1 “Improve research and innovation capacity and the ability of Latvian research institutions to attract external funding, by investing in human capital and infrastructure”
More on the project here.