Technological Platform

Cannabis has gathered significant interest in recent years due to the potential health benefits associated with its bioactive compounds. The CannEx project focuses on optimizing the extraction and purification of bioactive compounds from the Cannabis plant, utilizing supercritical CO2 to fine tune the recovery of bioactive extracts from the cannabis plant (flower and leaves).

The Technical Platform team utilizes supercritical CO2 to fine tune the recovery of bioactive extracts from cannabis plant (flower and leaves). The aim is to identify the optimum process parameters (pressure, temperature, extraction time) to extract bioactive compounds, namely phytocannabinoids, flavonoids and terpenes, with improved bioactivity and antimicrobial effect.

This project is also supported by the two core areas of iBET’s Biosustanability. The Natural Bioactives and Nutraceuticals R&D area is responsible for the phytochemical characterization of the extracts using cutting-edge analytical methods (like HPCL-DAD and GC-MS) to identify phytocannabinoids and terpenes and also for the bioactivity evaluation focusing on the antioxidant and antiproliferative effect. On the other hand, the Microbiology for Sustainability R&D area focuses on evaluating the antibacterial effect of the cannabis extracts.

Since 2020, iBET has held authorization from INFARMED to conduct research activities related to the cannabis plant and its derivatives.

The ongoing project is funded by iBETXplore – iBET’s Innovation Program.

The VIIAFOOD Agenda (launched in 2022 within the scope of the Recovery and Resilience Program – PRR) aims to promote the structural transformation of Portugal’s agri-food sector. iBET is one of the 50 partners of the consortium led by Sonae MC.

Within the HidroX project (coordinated by SOVENA), phenolic-rich extracts, known for their high antioxidant capacity, are being prepared from olive oil residues using high-pressure technologies and biocompatible solvents.

Additionally, in partnership with PRIMOR- CHARCUTARIA PRIMA, we are developing natural extracts enrich in pigments for food applications.

In these projects, sustainable and scalable methods are employed to extract these functional ingredients from vegetables, fruits, and plants. Stability tests are being conducted to ensure the suitability of these ingredients for final formulations and to enhance their shelf life.

The chemical characterization of the extracts and their potential health benefits are being evaluated by our Natural Bioactives & Nutraceuticals R&D area.

The Technological Platform team is exploring the potential of natural aerogels for wound healing applications. These aerogels are made from natural polymers, such as collagen and chitosan, which can be sustainably extracted from marine residues. Their unique properties, such as high porosity and resistance to mechanical stress, combined with the biocompatibility and bioactivity of the materials (antimicrobial activity and tissue regeneration), make them excellent candidates for biomedical use.

Firstly, biopolymers are extracted from fishery residues with deep eutectic solvents. Following the formation of an alcogel, the material is dried with supercritical CO2 to create an aerogel, achieving the desired morphology and porosity. The produced materials are undergoing physicochemical characterization, and their biocompatibility against skin cell lines and antimicrobial capacity against pathogenic microorganisms are being evaluated by our Natural Bioactives & Nutraceuticals and Microbiology for Sustainability teams.

Building upon previous work from our team (M Batista et al., 2024), a proposal was submitted to the 3^rd edition of the Alfredo da Silva Awards 2023. This proposal focused on applying the developed techniques to olive oil by-products for the creation of topically active biomaterials. We were honored to have received an Honorable Mention for this approach.

The TEC4GREEN project was launched in 2023 with a funding of 15.9 million euros from Plano de Recuperação e Resiliência (PRR), uniting 18 national partners, including iBET. This collaborative effort aims to equip the agro-industrial sector for forthcoming challenges, while mitigating environmental impact and promoting sector sustainability.

One key application of these functional ingredients is the development of natural fungicides that could potentially replace conventional pesticides, evaluated by our Microbiology for Sustainability R&D area. The chemical characterization is done at Natural Bioactives & Nutraceuticals R&D Area. In addition, we are also collaborating with ASCENZA Agro to identify functional ingredients for use as coadjutants in final formulations. These ingredients can act as emulsifiers or texturizing agents.