Curcumin Extraction Plant in India

A curcumin extraction plant is a stainless steel process line that recovers curcuminoids, the yellow actives in turmeric, from dried rhizome. Milled turmeric is washed with solvent in a percolation battery, the miscella is concentrated under vacuum into turmeric oleoresin, and a crystallisation, washing and drying section then lifts that oleoresin to 95 percent curcuminoid powder. A solvent recovery train runs alongside the whole line so the same solvent returns to the day tank batch after batch.

In six stages. Dried rhizome is cleaned and milled to 40 to 80 mesh, charged into counter-current percolators and washed with solvent so fresh solvent always meets the most spent bed. The miscella is stripped under vacuum into oleoresin, the solvent condenses back into the receiver for reuse, the oleoresin is crystallised and washed to raise the assay, and the crystals are dried in a vacuum tray dryer before milling and packing.

Ethyl acetate and acetone are the usual choices for curcuminoid extraction, with IPA or ethanol where a food grade or residual solvent limit applies and hexane for a defatting stage. The plant is built to suit whichever solvent your consent to operate allows, because the condenser duty, vent system and hazardous area classification all change with the solvent.

Batch lines start at 100 kg of turmeric powder per charge for pilot and R and D work and run up to 1000 kg per batch. Turnkey plants are built from 1 TPD to 5 TPD of rhizome feed with multi-vessel counter-current batteries. Tell us the daily turmeric quantity you want to process and we work backwards to the vessel size and the number of batches per shift.

It depends on the curcuminoid content of the rhizome you buy. Common Indian turmeric carries roughly 2 to 5 percent curcuminoids in the dried rhizome, while Lakadong and other high assay varieties sit well above that. A well run plant recovers the large majority of that as oleoresin, with a further loss at crystallisation. Rather than quote a number blind, we assay a 5 kg sample of your own rhizome and give you a yield figure you can budget against.

Both. The extraction and concentration sections alone give turmeric oleoresin at roughly 25 to 40 percent curcuminoids, which is what a food colour buyer wants. Adding the crystalliser, centrifuge, wash stage and vacuum tray dryer takes the same feed to 95 percent curcuminoid crystals for the nutraceutical and export trade. Many units start at oleoresin and add the purification block in the second year.

Cost is driven by five things: the batch size, whether you stop at oleoresin or go through to 95 percent crystals, SS 304 against SS 316 contact parts, manual valves against PLC control, and the level of safety fitment your insurer and factory inspector require. Because those swing the figure widely, we do not publish a single price. Send your daily turmeric quantity, solvent and output grade and a specification sheet with a price comes back within one working day.

Typically a consent to establish and consent to operate from your state pollution control board, a factory licence, a solvent storage and hazardous area approval, and an FSSAI licence where the output is sold as a food or food colour. Export and nutraceutical buyers usually add GMP or FSSC requirements of their own. We supply the equipment list, solvent storage layout and hazardous area details that these applications ask for.

Flameproof motors, FLP control panel and light fittings, earthing and bonding across all vessels and piping, flame arrestors on vents, and a solvent day tank located to the required distance. Nitrogen blanketing, gas detection and a sprinkler or hydrant tie-in are added where your insurer or factory inspector asks for them.

Yes. Erection, solvent and utility piping, earthing, water trial, the first turmeric batch and operator training at your site are part of the supply scope. Our own crew travels from the Saharanpur works with the consignment and stays until the plant has run a full batch on your own rhizome.

Standard handover covers the general arrangement drawing, material of construction certificates, hydro and vacuum test reports, weld and polish records, the operating and maintenance manual and a spare parts list. DQ, IQ and OQ protocols, along with a validation document set, are prepared on request for GMP, FSSAI and export buyers.

A batch extraction and concentration section ships in 8 to 12 weeks from order confirmation. A full turnkey line with crystallisation, drying and PLC control takes 14 to 16 weeks. We dispatch to every state in India and export the same plants overseas, with sea worthy packing, marine insurance and documentation handled from our side.