Preparation of an elixir from common juniper (Juniperus communis L.) berries: the new Naviglio Extractor versus the traditional maceration technique

The term ‘elixir’ is defined as a pharmaceutical preparation containing an active ingredient that is dissolved in a hydroalcoholic solution and is designed to be taken orally. The solution is then mixed with sucrose (in a percentage generally comprised between 30 and 40% w/w) to make a more palatable product. The name elixir also currently applies to sweet liquors made with plant extracts that have a low alcoholic content and are independent from possible pharmaceutical use. In this work, two extraction methodologies, traditional maceration extraction and the Naviglio Extractor technique, which uses a rapid solid-liquid dynamic extraction (RSLDE), are used and the obtained results compared. Both methodologies were used for the preparation of an extract from common juniper (Juniperus communis L.) pseudofruits (commercially called juniper berries) originating from plants in the area of Montagnola Senese (Siena, Italy). The extracts obtained from the two different procedures were used to prepare elixir-liquors according to a traditional recipe, and were tested by a sensory panel for their organoleptic characteristics. The study showed that the Naviglio Extractor technique resulted in a faster extraction time, about 72 times faster than the maceration method, with a similarly efficient and reproducible extraction. Kinetics of the extraction were also calculated and were represented by an exponential function. Moreover, sensory analysis showed that there were no significant organoleptic differences between the liquors obtained using the two methods.