Organic Acids Extraction Plants

Artichoke Extract Powder (Chlorogenic Acids)

Mechotech designs and manufactures turnkey extraction plants for Artichoke (Cynara scolymus), processing the dried leaf — not the edible flower head or heart familiar from culinary artichoke — into a powder standardised to 2.5%-5% Chlorogenic Acids by HPLC. Artichoke leaf is genuinely distinct from the vegetable most buyers know: the leaf carries the plant's characteristic caffeoylquinic-acid complex, principally chlorogenic acids alongside cynarin, and it is this leaf-based polyphenolic-acid content, not the fleshy bract or heart, that underlies artichoke's well-documented liver-support and digestive bitter-principle activity. This page is standardised specifically on chlorogenic acids as the declared primary marker by HPLC; Mechotech separately offers a cynarin-primary line for buyers whose specification calls for that assay instead. We supply the complete machinery — leaf cleaning, milling, aqueous-ethanol extraction, filtration, purification, vacuum concentration with solvent recovery, HPLC standardisation, and spray drying — to convert artichoke leaf into a consistent extract powder for nutraceutical, functional-food, and pharmaceutical buyers.

Mechotech's Artichoke (Chlorogenic Acids) plant is engineered around leaf-specific raw-material handling and a chlorogenic-acid-primary standardisation route. Because chlorogenic acids are polyphenolic acids prone to oxidative browning once liberated from the leaf's cellular structure, the line uses prompt post-milling extraction, controlled aqueous-ethanol solvent conditions, and rapid clarification to limit oxidation before concentration. Built in SS 316L with electropolished product-contact surfaces, PLC-SCADA automation, and full batch documentation, each plant is delivered as a commissioned turnkey system engineered to the declared 2.5%-5% Chlorogenic Acids by HPLC specification.

Technical Specifications

Product	Artichoke Extract Powder (Chlorogenic Acids) Extraction Plant
Botanical Name	Cynara scolymus
Raw Material	Dried artichoke leaves
Plant Part	Leaf (not the edible flower head/heart)
Extract Type	Standardised dry extract (powder)
Standardisation	Chlorogenic Acids By HPLC — 2.5% to 5% grades (primary declared marker)
Extraction Method	Aqueous-ethanol solvent extraction (closed, jacketed SS 316L extractors)
Product-contact Material	SS 316L, electropolished, CIP-cleanable
Filtration System	Plate-and-frame filter press with 1-5 micron cartridge polish filtration
Concentration System	Falling-film / vacuum evaporator with closed-loop solvent recovery
Drying System	Spray dryer with controlled inlet/outlet temperature
Automation	PLC-SCADA with recipe management, batch traceability and production reporting
Plant Capacity	Configured to requirement
Utility Requirements	Steam, chilled/cooling water, compressed air, soft water, power (project-specific)
Compliance	FSSAI, GMP, HACCP hygienic design; full documentation for qualification
Final Product Form	Free-flowing standardised extract powder

Plant Capacities

Plant Scale	Leaf Throughput	Typical Use
Pilot	Configured to your feedstock and trial plan	Product development, parameter validation
Semi-Commercial	Configured between pilot and commercial scale	Contract manufacturing, scale-up trials
Commercial	Configured to raw-material supply and confirmed buyer volume	Export-grade continuous production

Capacity is configured to leaf supply and confirmed buyer volume; we recommend a pilot plant to validate chlorogenic-acid recovery and oxidation-control parameters before scaling.

Manufacturing Process

Leaf Cleaning & Size Reduction

Dried artichoke leaves are cleaned of stem fragments and foreign matter, tested for moisture, and milled to a uniform particle size to expose the leaf's caffeoylquinic-acid-bearing tissue to solvent.

Prompt Aqueous-Ethanol Extraction

Milled leaf is charged into closed, jacketed SS 316L extractors and extracted with water or aqueous ethanol (40-70% v/v) at 45-70°C promptly after milling, since chlorogenic acids are polyphenolic acids that can oxidise and darken once the leaf's cellular structure is disrupted, and delayed processing risks both colour and assay loss.

Filtration

The extract (miscella) is clarified through a plate-and-frame filter press followed by 1-5 micron cartridge polish filters, removing leaf particulate and pigment promptly to limit further oxidative exposure before concentration.

Purification (High-Grade Runs)

For specifications toward the top of the 2.5%-5% range, the extract passes a macroporous resin or membrane purification stage that concentrates the chlorogenic-acid fraction ahead of concentration.

Vacuum Concentration

The filtered or purified miscella is concentrated in a falling-film evaporator at 50-65°C under vacuum, with ethanol recovered and recycled through a closed-loop system.

HPLC Standardisation

The concentrate is assayed by HPLC specifically for chlorogenic-acid content — the primary declared marker on this line, distinct from a cynarin-primary assay — and adjusted to the declared 2.5%-5% specification before drying.

Spray Drying & Quality Control

The standardised concentrate is spray-dried under controlled inlet/outlet temperature to a free-flowing powder that limits further colour development. Each batch undergoes HPLC assay, residual-solvent, heavy-metal, microbial, and moisture testing before release with full certificate-of-analysis documentation.

Major Plant Equipment

Leaf cleaning and de-stemming system
Hammer mill / leaf mill (size reduction)
Stainless-steel jacketed extraction vessels (SS 316L)
Solvent storage tanks
Solvent transfer pumps
Plate heat exchangers
Plate-and-frame filter press
1-5 micron cartridge polish filters
Macroporous resin / membrane purification column
Falling-film vacuum evaporator
Closed-loop solvent recovery system
Condensers & vacuum pumps
Spray dryer with inlet/outlet temperature control
CIP (clean-in-place) system
Storage tanks & finished-product tanks
PLC-SCADA control panel, electrical MCC & instrumentation

Plant Output

Artichoke Extract Powder — 2.5% Chlorogenic Acids by HPLCArtichoke Extract Powder — 5% Chlorogenic Acids by HPLC (high-grade)

Applications

Liver-support and hepatoprotective nutraceutical capsule and tablet formulations
Digestive bitter-principle supplement blends
Functional food and dietary supplement manufacturing
Pharmaceutical standardised botanical ingredient supply
Cholesterol- and metabolic-support formulation ingredient supply
Export to nutraceutical ingredient buyers in regulated markets

Key Features

GMP Hygienic SS 316L Construction
All product-contact surfaces are electropolished SS 316L, using GMP hygienic design for botanical extract manufacturing, with CIP operation between batches.
Leaf-Specific, Chlorogenic-Acid-Primary Standardisation
Raw-material sourcing, milling, and HPLC assay are built specifically around artichoke leaf and a chlorogenic-acid-primary declared marker, distinct from Mechotech's separate cynarin-primary artichoke line.
Oxidation-Controlled Processing
Prompt post-milling extraction and rapid clarification limit oxidative browning and assay loss of the polyphenolic-acid fraction between milling and concentration.
Standardised 2.5%-5% Assay by HPLC
In-process and batch-release HPLC assay are used to check the finished powder against its declared 2.5%-5% chlorogenic-acids specification for consistent, buyer-ready quality.
Closed-Loop Solvent Recovery
Integrated condenser-distillation recovery returns ethanol for reuse each batch, reducing fresh-solvent consumption.
Scalable Batch Capacity
Plants are configured to requirement from pilot scale upward, with a modular design that allows expansion without replacing core equipment.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is artichoke (chlorogenic acids) extract powder and why is it commercially extracted?

This is the concentrated, spray-dried extract of Cynara scolymus leaf, standardised to 2.5%-5% Chlorogenic Acids by HPLC. It delivers artichoke leaf's polyphenolic-acid content — associated with liver-support and digestive bitter-principle activity — in a stable, consistently dosed form, unlike raw leaf material with naturally variable content.

Is artichoke extract made from the vegetable heart people eat?

No. This extract is made from the dried leaf of Cynara scolymus, not the fleshy flower head or heart used as a culinary vegetable. The leaf carries the concentrated chlorogenic-acid and cynarin complex responsible for artichoke's traditional liver- and digestive-support use, which is a genuinely different plant part from the edible artichoke bract most buyers recognise.

How does this page differ from Mechotech's other artichoke extract line?

Mechotech offers two standardisation routes for artichoke leaf: this page is standardised to Chlorogenic Acids as the primary declared marker by HPLC, while a separate Artichoke Extract Powder (Cynarin) page targets Cynarin as the primary marker by HPLC/UV. Both are drawn from the same leaf raw material; the difference is which compound class is declared and assayed as the release specification, so confirm which marker your buyer's specification requires before selecting a line.

Why is prompt processing important for chlorogenic acids?

Chlorogenic acids are polyphenolic acids that can oxidise and darken once the leaf's cellular structure is disrupted during milling. Mechotech's process moves promptly from milling into extraction and clarification to limit this oxidative exposure and protect both the finished extract's assay and appearance.

Does Mechotech supply the complete machinery for artichoke extract powder?

Yes. Mechotech supplies the complete turnkey machinery — leaf cleaning, milling, extraction vessels, filtration, purification, vacuum concentration with solvent recovery, and spray drying — engineered, fabricated at our Hyderabad facility, installed, and commissioned as a single integrated plant.

What testing method confirms this artichoke extract specification?

The declared 2.5%-5% chlorogenic-acids specification is confirmed by HPLC assay on every batch, supported by residual-solvent, heavy-metal, microbial, and moisture testing for full certificate-of-analysis documentation required by regulated-market buyers.

What production capacities are available for the artichoke extract powder plant?

Mechotech manufactures artichoke extract powder plants from pilot systems for product development to commercial-scale plants. Capacity is selected based on leaf supply, confirmed buyer volume, and investment timeline, and we recommend a pilot plant to validate process parameters before scaling.

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Artichoke Extract Powder (Chlorogenic Acids)