EXPERIMENTAL OPTIMIZATION OF OPERATIONAL CONDITIONS FOR EXTRACTION OF ROSEHIP FRUITS

This article concerns the extraction of rosehip fruits with the aim to study the recovery of a number of compounds with antioxidant activity (polyphenols, flavonoids, beta carotene). Two varieties of rosehip fruits, cultivated and wild, are used as raw material. Experimental study on the process kinetics at different operational conditions is carried out in order to determine appropriate processing parameters, resulting in extracts with higher content of target compounds. A comparison of wild and cultivated variety is made, showing better quality of the cultivated one. The results are useful for production of improved and enriched extracts from this fruit, with higher content of antioxidant substances that would have better beneficial effects on human health.