All industries aim to obtain a quality product and to utilise raw materials as efficiently as possible in the production process. During the processing of raw materials, a certain amount of by-products is produced, which does not necessarily have to be “waste”, but a by-product or high value raw material for development of new products.

Cocoa shells, tobacco waste, and citrus peels, are by-products produced in large quantities which are usually underutilized or considered as waste, in spite of the fact that they contain different classes of useful components. The aim of this project is to obtain extracts rich in bioactive components from selected by-products using six innovative green extraction techniques: supercritical fluid extraction (SFE), subcritical water extraction (SWE), microwave-assisted extraction (MAE), ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE), cold atmospheric plasma assisted extraction (CAPAE), and extraction using deep eutectic solvents (DES).  Determination and isolation of bioactive components from selected by-products will be performed using highly sophisticated chromatographic techniques. Due to great diversity of bioactive components from diverse material, optimal extraction conditions will be defined for each applied technique by using response surface methodology (RSM). Extracts with the highest biological potential will be dried by using spray drying technology in order to produce plant powders with potential commercial application.

The results of the research will contribute to solving the problem of large quantities of organic waste, which represents an enormous ecological and financial burden for all aspects of the process industry. Special emphasis in the project will be put on the possible commercial valorisation of the research results and on the transfer of those results to the application level, as well as on strengthening the relationship between the academic community and the industry, developing the economy, and creating a positive social impact.