Quick evaluation technique finds new applications.

A rapid evaluation technique routinely used to screen and synthesize pharmaceutical compounds may find a new application in agricultural and food analysis. The technique, combinatorial chemistry, employs the rapid use of small-scale instrumentation to evaluate environmentally friendly processing methods. The technique speeds laboratory-scale evaluations, thereby reducing the cost and time associated with using larger-scale processing equipment.

Combinatorial chemistry can best be described as a collection of modern technologies that has spawned a rebirth of medicinal, organic and pharmaceutical chemistry in academic, biotechnological and pharmaceutical company settings. This approach integrates several drug-discovery disciplines, including synthetic and computational chemistry, analytical methodologies and high-throughput screening. It has the potential to reduce the development time and costs for pharmaceuticals, and now foods.

USDA/ARS technologists (National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research, 1815 N. University St., Peoria, IL 61604) have used combinatorial chemistry with highly pressurized supercritical fluids to optimize extraction processes, to evaluate the efficiency of enzymes and to enrich nutraceuticals and other compounds sourced from plant-derived oils.

Nutraceuticals can be obtained using supercritical fluid extraction (SFE), which has long been used to decaffeinate coffee. The final products are minimally modified because of less harsh extraction conditions. The application of combinatorial chemistry to agricultural research can speed laboratory research by several days and can aid scientists in determining optimum conditions before beginning large-scale processes.

Further information. Jerry King; phone: [phone]; fax: [phone]; email: [e-mail].