The Interdepartmental Laboratory of Technology and Analysis of Plant Preparations of Pharmaceutical, Food and Cosmetic Interest (PhytoLab) involves the departments of Chemistry, NEUROFARBA and Statistics, Informatics, Applications (DISIA) of the University of Florence, and carries out research and services related to the extraction, purification and characterization of natural substances for the biomedical, food, cosmetic and agro-industrial sectors. Studies are also carried out on the optimization and preparation of extracts and their formulations for marketing, quality and safety control, LCA, product registration and patenting support, and studies on the recovery and exploitation (energy and commercial) of secondary and waste products in the agro-industrial sector.
"Phytolab provides the following services:
- development of methods for the extraction, fractionation, isolation and characterisation of natural substances of interest to the biomedical, food, cosmetics and agro-industrial sectors;
- studies to optimise the stability, technological characteristics and biomedical properties of commercial extracts and preparations based on natural substances;
quality and stability control methods, product registration and process patents;
- improvement and optimization of biopharmaceutical and technological properties of drugs, natural derivatives and plant extracts through conventional and innovative formulations (development of nanocarriers such as liposomes, dendrosomes, nanoemulsions containing substances with biological action);
- pharmaceutical technology studies of plant extracts and natural constituents for the improvement of bioavailability; methods of authentication, quality and stability control of drugs and plant extracts through qualitative and quantitative analysis.
- development of new sustainable technologies for the recovery of bio-molecules and energy from secondary and waste products in the agro-industrial sector;
- LCA studies and product and process quality and safety management systems.
