Processing Technology of Species and Medicinal Herbs

Code

Course teacher

Associate teachers

Status of the course

Course objectives

Students will know and understand the most important techniques in the processing of medicinal herbs and spices. They will acquire basic knowledge of plant families and species that are commonly used in the food industry and the main methods of preparing herbal preparations (teas and tea blends, spice powders, herbal extracts, concentrates).

Course enrolment requirements and entry competences required for the course

Learning outcomes expected at the level of the course (4 to 10 learning outcomes)

After passing the exam students will be able to:
- describe basic terms, types of species and medicinal herbs, preparation of extracts and their useful application
- demonstrate basic procedures of processing species and medicinal plants and extraction methods
- determine appropriate analysis methods of the obtained extracts or plant materials and methods of determination of antioxidant and antibacterial properties
- suggest appropriate procedures of processing of species and medicinal plants considering basic postulates of extraction, analysis of extracts considering artefacts formation and impact to composition and properties of the product
- select appropriate approach in solving the problems in the area of processing of species and medicinal herbs, starting from knowledge from chemistry, technology and biotechnology

Course content broken down in detail by weekly class schedule (syllabus)

1st week: Introduction, history and use of medicinal herbs; Definition of medicinal herbs and aromatic plants,
2nd week: Taxonomy, nomenclature and classification; Distribution in Croatia and abroad; Wild and cultivated plants; Potential of the Mediterranean climate.
3rd week: Selected species of medicinal plants and herbs and their importance in the food industry,
4th week: Representatives of some major plant families (legumes, daisies, cloves, roses, anemones, lilies, wheat or grass, meadow grass).
5th week: Production steps: Select and Collection / Harvesting (seeds, leaves, roots),
6th week: Transportation, Quality of raw material (the determination of pesticides, mycotoxins, microbiological...);
7th week: Mulching; Drying (chamber and tunnel dryers, microwave drying, spray freeze and reverse osmosis),
8th week: Cleaning, packaging and labeling products; Preservation.
9th week: Herbal preparations (liquid and dry extracts), liquid extract (the degree of fragmentation, extraction tool, extraction);
10th week: First group of extraction methods (maceration, bimaceration, digestion, infusion, decoction, turboextraction, ultrasonic extraction);
11th week: Second group of methods of extraction (percolation, repercolation, diacolation, evacolation).
12th week: Active and effective substances, antioxidant and antimicrobial properties of biologically active compounds from herbs and aromatic plants,
13th week: Analysis of plant material; Factors affecting the quality of active ingredients.
14th week: The most important products, teas and tea blends, spice powders, spice extracts and concentrates, legal restrictions.

Format of instruction:

Student responsibilities

Optional literature (at the time of submission of study programme proposal)

Herbs, spices and essential oils: Post-harvest operations in developing countries, UNIDO and FAO 2005.

Quality assurance methods that ensure the acquisition of exit competences

Quality assurance will be performed at three levels:
(1) University Level;
(2) Faculty Level by Quality Control Committee;
(3) Lecturer’s Level.

Other (as the proposer wishes to add)