A techno-economic evaluation for the genipin recovery from Genipa americana L. employing non-thermal and thermal high-intensity ultrasound treatments

Abstract This paper presents techno-economic results for the high-intensity ultrasound (HIUS)-assisted extraction of a valuable phytochemical. Genipin is a precussor of natural blue compounds besides presenting anticancer, anti-oxidative, and anti-inflammatory properties. The effects of the non-thermal and thermal HIUS treatments on obtaining of genipin-rich ethanolic extracts from the unripe Genipa americana L. were evaluated. The HIUS treatments were evaluated in the economic viewpoint to show their feasibility in different scenarios. The non-thermal HIUS-assisted extraction, with a maximum temperature of 30 ± 1 °C, was performed applying a nominal power of 100 W and the thermal extraction with 450 W, achieving a maximum temperature of 73 ± 1 °C. For both treatments, the HIUS specific energy levels of 1, 3, and 5 kJ/g were assessed. The unripe genipap extracts obtained were characterized during their storage time (0, 24, 48, and 72 h) at 24 ± 2 °C according to their genipin and geniposide content and visual appearance. The cost of manufacturing was evaluated in a pilot, and industrial-scale for the different HIUS treatments studied. Our results demonstrated that the HIUS-assisted extractions allowed us to obtain different amounts of genipin and geniposide according to the non-thermal and thermal process conditions. The more intense acoustic cavitation provided by the nominal power of 450 W resulted in a better diffusion and, consequently, higher genipin recovery. The economic evaluation showed different scenarios to produce genipin-rich ethanolic extracts by HIUS technology. In comparison with a process using pressing + low-pressure extraction, our HIUS processes presented a faster and fixed capital investment two times cheaper.