Clove Extraction Plant
Clove Extraction Plant
Clove (Syzygium aromaticum) bud oleoresin and eugenol are among the most valuable spice extracts, used in dental anesthetics, food flavouring, fragrance, and pharmaceutical formulations. Mechotech's clove extraction plants deliver high-eugenol oleoresin and isolated eugenol from both clove buds and leaves.
Mechotech's clove extraction plant integrates solvent extraction for oleoresin production and optional fractional distillation for isolated eugenol purification. Our plants feature explosion-proof construction, vacuum evaporation with solvent recovery, and GC-standardization capability, enabling manufacturers to produce food-grade oleoresin (60%–90% eugenol) and pharmaceutical-grade isolated eugenol from a single installation.
Manufacturing Process
Clove Preparation
Dried clove buds or leaves are cleaned, inspected, and ground to 20–40 mesh. Pre-distillation steam stripping is optionally done to remove surface volatile oil before extraction.
Solvent Extraction
Ground cloves are extracted with food-grade ethanol in jacketed extraction vessels. Eugenol and associated oleoresin compounds are selectively dissolved into the ethanol phase.
Filtration & Polishing
The clove miscella is filtered through sparkler filters and polishing cartridges to remove all particulate matter, yielding a dark reddish-brown clear solution.
Evaporation
The filtered miscella is evaporated under vacuum in a falling-film evaporator at below 65°C. Solvent recovery exceeds 95%. The concentrated oleoresin is collected in receivers.
Eugenol Isolation (Optional)
For isolated eugenol production, the crude oleoresin is saponified with NaOH, and the eugenol sodium salt is separated, acidified, and re-extracted to yield 98%+ pure eugenol.
Standardization & Packing
Final oleoresin is standardized to target eugenol content by GC analysis and packed in food-grade containers under nitrogen atmosphere.
Applications
- Dental anesthetic and analgesic formulations (ZOE cement)
- Food and beverage spice flavouring
- Fragrance and perfumery (oriental fragrances)
- Pharmaceutical antiseptic preparations
- Tobacco flavouring and kretek cigarette manufacturing
- Cosmetic oral care and toothpaste flavouring
- Veterinary anti-parasitic preparations
- Vanilla flavour synthesis (eugenol precursor)
Key Features
High Eugenol Content
Optimized extraction delivers clove oleoresin with 70%–90% eugenol content from quality bud material, meeting specifications for food and pharmaceutical applications.
Eugenol Isolation Option
Integrated alkaline separation and acidification train enables production of 98%+ pure isolated eugenol for dental and pharmaceutical use.
Bud & Leaf Processing
Plant is configurable to process both clove buds (premium, higher value) and clove leaves (higher volume, lower cost) with separate campaign parameters.
Explosion-Proof Safety
ATEX Zone 1 certified construction with full earthing, flame arrestors, and pressure safety valves for safe ethanol solvent processing.
GC Standardization
In-line GC sampling ports allow real-time eugenol content monitoring to ensure each batch meets the specified quality before packing.
Frequently Asked Questions
What eugenol content does Mechotech's clove plant deliver?
Can the plant produce isolated eugenol for dental use?
What is the difference between clove bud and clove leaf oleoresin?
Is the plant suitable for organic clove processing?
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