AIR3-CT93-1236 Hibiscus esculentus: Development of an Integrated Exploitation System with High Added Value

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AIR Cluster I - Biomass Production : Biocomposites/Boards : Crops for Biocomposites/Boards : Crops for Fine Chemicals : Crops for Paper/Pulp : Crops for Pharmaceuticals/Cosmetics : Essential Oil : Fibre : Fine Chemicals : Paper/Pulp : Pharmaceuticals/Cosmetics : Sugar

	Proposal No:	AIR3-CT93-1236
	Date Prepared:	September 1999
	Source:	Final progress report July 1997

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Final progress report July 1997

Summary

Introduction The overall objective of the project was to elaborate an integrated system of exploitation of Hibiscus esculentus (bamia, okra, bamiah, gumbo), starting from its agronomic management and extending to likely industrial uses for its fruits, seeds and stems.

Objectives The specific objectives especially with reference to the reported period were:

• to ascertain into laboratory the probable uses of the plant derivatives, with respect to their acceptance in the chemical, paper, feed and food industry
• to examine the economical aspects of the crop at micro- and macro-scales and to proceed with a market survey with respect to the potential development of exploitation chains in industry
• to proceed with trial production of widely consumed commodities

The work is divided into two tasks as follows:

Task A - agriculture:

• techno-economical evaluation of the crop
• comparison with other crops
• market survey

Task B - laboratory work:

• pod production and evaluation
• seed tests
• determination of uses for stems

Activities The key steps of the overall work plan were:

• the economical and market considerations of Hibiscus esculentus cropping in different rural areas in Europe
• the determination of the chemical composition of the pods, seeds and stems of the plant and the technological value of their components
• the verification of the probable uses of these components in the industry and the determination of relevant production methods
• the trial production of commodities and relevant tests

During the third period of the project all tasks were completed in areas of:

• plant physiology
• micro-economical analysis of the crop
• market survey in Italy and France
• world market data
• feeding tests on chickens
• cultivation, harvesting and biomass yield analysis in Ariccia (near Rome)

Laboratory work gave answers relating to the following topics:

• technological evaluation of the mucilage and amino acids
• possible uses of bamia seed and fruit flour in bakery
• bread made from wheat/bamia seed flour consumption test
• collection of world-wide available meal recipes

The research related to non-food applications covered the following tasks:

• analysis and evaluation of phospholipids and fatty acids
• chemical determination and evaluation of the mucilage in non food uses
• seed perfume analysis, evaluation and application
• hemicellulose extraction and film production
• particleboard preparation and evaluation
• pre-treatment of fibrous mass before pulp making
• chemical and chemimechanical pulp preparation and evaluation
• description of possible exploitation chains

Results

Agricultural sector The following conclusions were reached.

• The plant is adaptable to dry areas, to poor soils of all kinds and resistant to pests and diseases

• It may be cultivated by biological methods or with low chemical inputs. However, protection against weeds still requires further experimentation.

• The zones suitable for its cultivation, are those which are generally on the south of 45 north latitude and more specifically the whole of Greece, in Italy the areas on the south of Rome (Puglia, Calabria, Campania, Lasio, Basilikata, Molise, Sicilia, Sardegna etc.), in France the zone near the Pyrenees and the Mediterranean Sea (Landes, Roussillion, Corse etc.) and presumably the most of the agricultural areas of Spain and Portuguese. These zones include the total of the areas of Objective 1 and a great part of Objective 5b of the Structural Funds.

• In the markets of Italy and France, in contrast to Greece, the fresh green pods of Hibiscus esculentus, are used as a kind of vegetable that has appeared only during the last decade and for which there is a rise in consumption. The consumer prices range from 2.5 to 8 ECU/kgr, so that it can be regarded as an expensive vegetable.

• In Italy (Sicily) cultivation for production of fresh fruits is commercial. Cultivated as a vegetable, it provides a gross margin greater than this of the green beans and equal to that of the asparagus, with the contribution to the gross margin in the total farmer revenue greater than that of other vegetables and crops investigated.

• The cultivation is simple, easy and feasible with existing equipment that the farmers own. It is possible for various cropping methods to be adopted, including fresh fruits picking, seed harvesting and stems gathering

Industrial aspects In food applications, the following results were found.

• The mucilage found in the fruits and seeds, consists exclusively of saccharides that are characteristic constituents of the dietary fibres.
• Seed flour improves freshness of bakery products.
• Seed flour is suitable for feeding chickens and can replace soybean or cottonseed meals in the chicken ration.

Non-food applications The following results have been ascertained.

• Phospholipids and fatty acids can be used in applications in plastics, resins, emulsifiers etc. Hemicellulose fractions are suitable for the production of biodegradable films.
• Mucilage can be used in different applications in cosmetics, medicine and colour industry.
• The production of particle boards from the whole plant, especially from the shells of the pods, with very good qualities and great resistance to wetness, is feasible.
• Perfume can be produced from the seeds, which can be used in cosmetics or insect repellent.
• High yield chemical and chemimechanical pulps, made from the stems of the plant and shells of the pods, are attainable with equal or better properties of those made by other annual plants.

A wide range of products have been produced as samples, including those listed below:

• bamia seeds and frozen fruits
• meal prepared from fresh fruits
• flour produced from seeds
• different types of bread prepared with blends wheat-bamia flour
• oil extracted from seeds
• hemicelluloses A and B extracted from pod shells
• films made from mucilage in liquid and dehydrated form extracted from fruits
• perfume extracted from seeds
• cleaned fibres, ready for pulping
• bleached and unbleached chemical and chemimechanical pulps produced from different fibrous parts of the plant
• different types of particle boards, made separately from the pod shells and whole plants

The main result was the demonstration of technical and economical feasibility for producing the above commodities and primary materials suitable for other applications. This, combined with the ability of the plant to adapt to poor soils in the most non favourable agricultural areas, leads to the conclusion that it could be considered among the crops suitable for diversification in these areas and that demonstration activities should be set up.