J. Bolt

The preservation of biological material

Preserved flowers could immortalize important botanical findings and personal events in life. Their minimal required maintenance would facilitate their use as semi-permanent decoration for offices, store windows and retirement homes and  broaden their geographical market to regions where the fresh equivalent is not able to thrive. It could also save in logistic costs as quick and refrigerated transport would not be required, enabling the options for slower, cheaper transport.

The general concept to preserve biological material revolves around the inactivation of water, achieved by physical removal of water or by incorporating compounds that bind to water. Common side-effects however, are shrinkage, a brittle product and loss or change of colour and colour intensity. More importantly, the procedures often consist of lengthy processes utilizing costly, potentially hazardous, organic solvents.

Therefore, the main question is whether the process can be simplified into a single-step process by removing or integrating pre- and post-treatment steps, by utilizing supercritical fluids as (co-)extractants, while maintaining the natural properties and while converting the process and products to a safe, green alternative.