In the technological process of CO2 extraction, shredded raw material that has been processed with liquefied carbon dioxide is called CO2 grain, or grain for short.
If a strong drop in pressure was used during the extraction (the so-called “bursting”), this raw material is also referred to as “bursting”. The cell structure of such raw materials as a result of “shattering” turns out to be torn, and the general texture becomes loose and porous, which leads to the release of useful substances in all further extraction methods – both with carbon dioxide itself (CO2 extraction) and with other solvents (e.g. water or alcohol).
The CO2 extraction is characterized by the fact that during the extraction only the lipophilic (fat-soluble) part of the biologically active substances contained in it is extracted from the plant material. Accordingly, the grain is characterized by the fact that it almost completely retains the hydrophilic (water-soluble) part of the content – in many cases, especially with medicinal plants, these are quite valuable substances such as vitamins and amino acids. Vegetable fiber, proteins and micro-elements are also completely retained in the grain.
Another feature of CO2 extraction is that it takes place at very low temperatures that are gentle on raw materials – a typical temperature range is around 10-35 ° C. At such temperatures, all valuable substances contained in vegetable raw materials – not only those that are transferred to the CO2 extract, but also those remaining in the grain – are preserved in their native, intact form. Even such capricious temperature regimes and highly thermolabile compounds such as vitamin C are completely retained and do not lose any of their beneficial properties.
The broken cell structure of the grain facilitates the release of the extracted substances several times – at least 2-3 times and, according to some estimates, even higher. This makes grain not only a unique raw material for subsequent (after extraction with liquefied carbon dioxide) types of extraction, but also an excellent ingredient for many other applications. Such as infusions (for herbal teas or functional drinks) or fillings (for sweets, baked goods, meat products and minced meat).
A strong pressure relief in the process of CO2 extraction (explosion) not only destroys the cell walls of the plant material itself – all bacteria and almost all spores with which this raw material was sown “burst” in a similar way. As a result of the technological process, the raw material becomes almost completely sterile literally overnight, without additional processing and without losing its useful properties. But that’s not all – if the raw material is filled with liquefied carbon dioxide (solvent), oxygen is displaced from it, which then strongly inhibits the oxidative processes that occur in the grain during further storage.
Let’s summarize for the sake of brevity. So, CO2 grain is sterile. It is less prone to oxidative processes. All useful substances contained in the original plant material (apart from those removed during extraction) are stored in their native, undamaged form. The broken cell structure facilitates and increases the nutrient yield for each further use. The loose and porous texture makes it easy to pick up any ingredient when using grain as part of mixes. In addition, the grain is much cheaper than the raw material.
Thus, as formal production waste, CO2 grain is actually a valuable raw material for many applications and in some cases even more valuable than the original one. The most typical uses for grains are described below.
Use as a carrier for various ingredients in functional dry mixes
“The loose, porous structure of CO2 grain absorbs the ingredients of the mixture perfectly without clumping and retains the ideal, free-flowing texture that is technologically practical. At the same time, the carrier of the mixture is sterile and completely natural, which is often important in the manufacture of premium products. “
Use of lower quality spices in grinding
“CO2 grain made from spicy-aromatic raw materials still retains a certain part of the taste, smell and sharpness of the raw material, especially with gentle extraction processes (if necessary and in consultation with the customer, the selection of the extract can be even and rather moderate). The texture and appearance of the grain when it is ground are almost completely identical to the raw material. “
Use as an infusion for teas, especially herbal teas
“The entire water-soluble part of the substances and compounds contained in the input material remains in the CO2 grain (since only the fat-soluble part is extracted during CO2 extraction). Therefore, brewing CO2 grain is at least no worse than the raw material, although it is much cheaper. But in many cases the drink turns out to be even better for this type of application, because the torn cell structure makes it brew faster and more substances pass into the drink – it becomes richer, tastier and more useful, with the same amount of infusion compared to conventional ones raw materials. “
Use as an inexpensive decorative dust or dust powder
“In situations where the recipe or marketing conditions for selling the product require that the product be copiously sprinkled with spices, you can mix these with food of similar (or different, customer-specific) spices to reduce costs at the same time and to bring the aromatic aromatic content in the product to an acceptable level.
It also regularly happens that the desired effect in the spice and aroma area is only achieved through the use of extracts, but the marketing specialists at the manufacturer are concerned that the consumer simply does not understand where the taste and smell of herbs and spices in the product comes from when you can’t see them with your own eyes (isn’t that chemistry?). To solve this problem, you can add a certain amount of grain to the final product, just enough to convince the buyer of the naturalness of the ingredients. This will be a simple, effective and inexpensive solution to the problem that has arisen. “
Use as a filling
“CO2 grain has proven itself as an ingredient in fillings for products such as dumplings and pies. During the cooking process, the dish gives off its juices to the minced meat perfectly, and the product turns out to be tastier and more aromatic – at the same time inexpensive and convenient to make, since the food is much easier to store than ordinary dried raw materials, not to mention fresh herbs. Whole grain is also perfect as a filling for baked goods and as an ingredient in dough. “
Use as a carrier for food supplements
“Sterile, inexpensive, completely natural and perfectly absorbent for all ingredients CO2-grain is an ideal carrier for food supplements. At the customer’s request, you can pick up any type of grain that is suitable for the intended product – from tasteless and odorless to those that still have a rather strong taste and smell of their own. “
Contact us for advice on how to use grain and how to get samples. We will be happy to provide you with any information that is not included in this article.
Additional Information
- In the case of work on a contractual basis (production of an extract from the customer’s raw materials), the customer receives both a CO2 extract and grain, depending on the result of the execution.
- In addition, we offer services for “breaking up” raw materials without selecting the extract – in this case the customer receives a complete raw material as a product, the structure of which is loose and porous, the cell walls are torn. This structure facilitates and significantly increases the yield of the contents for all subsequent uses.
- We can also specifically skim raw materials according to the parameters requested by the customer – the need for such a service arises, for example, in situations in which the product is manufactured according to a foreign recipe that requires a lot of tact. In this case, the end product may turn out to be too hot or too hot for the domestic consumer, but through controlled exhaustion the saturation levels of taste and heat can be brought to values that are acceptable for the German market.