Onion Extract
Onion Extract
Purity Levels
10% Volatile oil and polyphenols
Extraction Technologies
Mechotech designs and manufactures turnkey herbal extraction plants that process onion bulbs to recover onion oil and fructans, with a 10% Volatile oil and polyphenols specification listed for this product. We supply the machinery for the route selected after screening — raw-material preparation, extraction, separation, concentration or recovery, and drying or collection. Candidate extraction technologies for onion oil and fructans: Supercritical CO₂ Extraction (SCFE), Subcritical Water Extraction (SWE) and Enzyme-Assisted Extraction (EAE) (3 in total).
For onion bulbs with onion oil and fructans as the target, there are 3 candidate technologies: Supercritical CO₂ Extraction (SCFE), Subcritical Water Extraction (SWE) and Enzyme-Assisted Extraction (EAE). Water-based media to the subcritical water and enzyme-assisted routes and supercritical CO₂ to non-polar fractions such as oils, with an ethanol modifier evaluated only where polar fractions are also needed. These are screening candidates rather than guarantees: the final technology, operating parameters and plant configuration are established during process development and pilot validation. Product-contact parts are built in SS 316L with CIP-cleanable design, and automation is configured to the project.
Technical Specifications
| Product | Onion Extract Plant |
|---|---|
| Feedstock | Onion bulbs |
| Part / Feed Form | Bulbs |
| Target Extract | Onion oil and fructans |
| Standardisation | 10% Volatile oil and polyphenols |
| Extraction Method | CO2, SWE, EAE |
| Technology Count | 3 |
| Product-contact Material | SS 316L, electropolished, CIP-cleanable |
| Automation | PLC-SCADA, configured to requirement |
Plant Capacities
| Plant Scale | Raw Material Throughput | Typical Use |
|---|---|---|
| Pilot | Configured to your feedstock and trial plan | Product development, parameter validation |
| Semi-Commercial | Configured to raw-material supply and buyer volume | Contract manufacturing, scale-up trials |
| Commercial | Configured to raw-material supply and confirmed buyer volume | Commercial production at confirmed buyer volume |
Capacity is configured to raw-material supply and confirmed buyer volume; we recommend a pilot plant to validate process parameters before scaling. No fixed throughput is quoted for this product.
Manufacturing Process
Each extraction method follows a different process — pick a method to see its steps.
Raw-Material Conditioning
Onion bulbs are cleaned and conditioned so onion oil is accessible to supercritical CO₂; moisture and particle size are set during process development.
Extraction Vessel Loading
Conditioned onion bulbs are charged into the high-pressure extraction vessel.
Supercritical CO₂ Extraction
Supercritical CO₂ passes through the charge and dissolves onion oil; an ethanol modifier can be evaluated where polar fractions are also required, and operating pressure and temperature are set in process development.
Separator Collection
Pressure is reduced in separator stages so the extracted onion oil drops out of the CO₂ and is collected.
CO₂ Recycle
Gaseous CO₂ is re-liquefied and recirculated to the extractor, limiting make-up gas demand.
Finishing & Packing
The collected onion oil is polished by filtration as needed and packed to the required specification.
Raw-Material Preparation
Onion bulbs are cleaned and size-reduced so fructans can be reached by the extraction medium; particle size and moisture are set during process development.
Vessel Loading & Pressurisation
Prepared onion bulbs and water are loaded into a pressure-rated extraction vessel.
Subcritical Water Extraction
Water held liquid under pressure at elevated temperature extracts fructans without an organic solvent; temperature and residence time are set to limit thermal degradation and hydrolysis.
Separation
Spent solids are separated by filtration or centrifugation and the extract is clarified before concentration.
Concentration
The clarified aqueous extract is concentrated under vacuum or by membrane systems where required; no organic solvent is used in this route.
Recovery, Standardisation & Drying
The fructans fraction is recovered from the concentrate by a route selected during process development and checked against the target specification; drying behaviour is verified because polysaccharide-type targets can be heat-sensitive.
Raw-Material Preparation
Onion bulbs are cleaned and size-reduced so fructans can be reached by the extraction medium; particle size and moisture are set during process development.
Slurry & pH Control
Prepared onion bulbs are slurried in water with pH and temperature set for the enzyme system.
Enzymatic Treatment
An enzyme (for example a cellulase, pectinase or protease, selected for the onion bulbs matrix) breaks down bound cell-wall material to release fructans; enzyme cost and specificity are validated at pilot scale.
Enzyme Inactivation & Separation
The enzyme is inactivated and spent solids are separated by filtration or centrifugation.
Concentration
The clarified aqueous extract is concentrated under vacuum or by membrane systems where required; no organic solvent is used in this route.
Recovery, Standardisation & Drying
The fructans fraction is recovered from the concentrate by a route selected during process development and checked against the target specification; drying behaviour is verified because polysaccharide-type targets can be heat-sensitive.
Major Plant Equipment
- Raw-material cleaning and size-reduction system
- Pressure-rated hot-water extraction vessel
- High-pressure water pump and heat exchangers
- Jacketed enzyme reaction vessel with pH and temperature control
- Enzyme dosing and inactivation system
- Supercritical CO₂ extraction vessels
- CO₂ pump, heat exchangers and chiller
- Separator vessels
- CO₂ recovery / recycle system
- Optional ethanol-modifier dosing skid
- Filtration / centrifugation system
- Vacuum evaporator
- Membrane concentration unit (where required)
- Dryer (where a dried form is specified)
- CIP (clean-in-place) system
- Storage and finished-product tanks
- PLC-SCADA control panel and instrumentation
Plant Output
From Plant to Product
Onion Extract
This botanical is also in the product range of Sureka Life Sciences, our sister concern in botanical ingredients.
Applications
- Pharmaceutical standardised ingredient supply
- Nutraceutical capsule, tablet, and supplement manufacturing
- Food, flavour, and beverage applications
- Cosmetic and personal care active ingredients
- Ayurvedic and traditional medicine preparations
- Export to regulated-market ingredient buyers
Key Features
Technology-Matched Process Design
The plant is configured around the 3 candidate technologies for this feedstock: Supercritical CO₂ (SCFE), Subcritical Water (SWE) and Enzyme-Assisted (EAE).
Target-Specific Configuration
Equipment and process steps are selected around the onion oil and fructans target and the onion bulbs feed form, and are finalised after pilot work.
Parameters Fixed After Pilot Trials
Recovery, selectivity, solvent or water duty, quality and cleaning are measured in pilot trials before final plant parameters are fixed.
SS 316L Hygienic Construction
Product-contact surfaces are SS 316L and CIP-cleanable, in a hygienic design suited to food, nutraceutical and pharmaceutical supply chains.
Configurable Automation
PLC-SCADA automation with recipe control can be configured to the project scope.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is an onion extraction plant for onion oil and fructans?
Which plant part or feed form does the onion plant process?
Does Mechotech supply the complete machinery for Onion Extract?
What specification can the Onion Extract plant achieve?
Which industries use the Onion Extract plant?
Why do the candidate technologies target onion oil and fructans when the specification on this page is 10% volatile oil and polyphenols?
Which extraction technologies are suitable for onion bulbs?
How does the onion extraction process work?
What equipment does the onion extraction plant include?
Which related Mechotech extraction pages cover the same material or target?
What capacity is available and is a pilot trial recommended?
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