About Us
Agri-Extracts is a startup manufacturing company based at Nelson Mandela University in Port Elizabeth, South Africa. We are part of an applied research institute called Innoventon.
We have a passion for the environment and for all things natural, which is why we came up with the idea of adding value to agricultural and food waste which can pose waste disposal problems.
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We process olive pomace waste from olive oil production to manufacture extracts rich in bioactive compounds for use in the cosmetic and health industries.
Our Solution
Over 98% of the water-soluble polyphenols in olives are found in the waste pomace. This pomace also has residual oil containing squalene and vitamin E. We extract these valuable bioactives, which are antioxidants, from the pomace using a unique, gentle extraction technique to preserve their efficacy, and prepare both water-soluble and oil-soluble antioxidant-rich extracts which can be used in the cosmetic skincare industry. We thus provide skincare product manufacturers with an effective locally-produced antioxidant additive at relatively low cost.
The Waste Problem
During olive oil production an enormous quantity of waste olive pomace (skin, pulp, stone pieces and vegetation liquid) is generated. This pomace presents a major disposal problem due to its polyphenolic content which gives it a high biological and chemical oxygen demand. Thus the pomace must first be allowed to degrade before it can be mulched back into the soil or disposed of.
