The project has two major objectives: a) development and transfer of technologies for the superior valorisation of the by-product resulting from the cold-pressing of armurarium oil; b) intensification of the collaboration between the academic and economic agents and increase of the level of expertise of the human resources. The achievement of the first objective involves subsidiary objectives: characterisation of the compositional profile of the extract from the by-product resulting from the production of armurarium oil; development and optimisation of extraction technologies; production and characterisation of concentrated extracts in silymarin; demonstration of extraction technologies carried out at the economic agent. Finally, a product will be obtained with a silymarin concentration of at least 50%. The second objective involves the training of master students at the economic agent and the training of HOFIGAL's specialised staff in the academic laboratories.

The compositional characterisation of the by-product and silymarin-containing extracts will be done using: HPLC with diode-array detection and mass spectrometry (HPLC-DAD-MS), capillary electrophoresis, fluorimetric, chemiluminometric methods, etc. The extraction of silymarin will be done using organic solvents (alcohols, ethyl acetate, dioxane), water or different solvent/water mixtures. The influence of temperature and extraction method used will be studied: percolation/maceration, Soxhlet, accelerated extraction based on the use of cavitation phenomena (ultrasound, microwaves) on the extraction of silymarin. The aim will be to realise extraction technologies based on the use of non-flammable/low flammability solvents under mild working conditions, technologies approved by the economic operator. The antioxidant capacity of silymarin extracts and their antiproliferative capacity will be determined. The silymarin concentrate will be used by HOFIGAL for the production of phytoproducts/food supplements.