The opening meeting of the EU project carried out by our university within the scope of Erasmus + Bilateral Cooperation in Higher Education named "Green Chemistry Applications in Selected Medicinal and Aromatic Plants in Artvin Region" with contract number 2022-1-TR01-KA220-HED-000089361 was held. BİLTEKMER Director Assoc. Prof. Dr. Mustafa Kemal Gümüş from our university was present at the meetings held in Galati, Romania between 13-15 September 2023. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Gümüş shared information about the progress of the project and what needs to be done in the future.
In the series of meetings, representatives of the project partners, including the host University of Galati, University of Turin, Georgian University of Agriculture, University of Chemistry and Technology in Prague and Single Crystal Institute of the Ukrainian Academy of Sciences, participated with presentations and reports of their laboratory studies. The results obtained by the partners were presented by Prof. Dr. Giancarlo Cravotto, Prof. Dr. Nina Kulikova and Assoc. Prof. Mustafa Kemal Gümüş. The results achieved so far were analyzed and the next activities were agreed upon.
Among the topics presented were applications of green synthesis methods. These included solvent-assisted mechanochemical synthesis and synthesis of N-heterocyclic compounds using biocatalysis. Also covered were topics such as the use of deep eutectic solvent systems for microwave-assisted extraction for the extraction of compounds from plants. As a result of these processes, it was recorded that some biologically active compounds were also obtained from medicinal plants.
Electrochemical methods as a green alternative for the determination of antioxidant capacity was highlighted as an interesting topic that could be used in the activities of the project discussed in Romania. The meeting was centered around presentations and laboratory studies of biological activities such as antioxidant and enzymatic activities of natural compounds from medicinal and aromatic plants. The discussions revolved around priorities such as the development of the project, obtaining important results to be published in international journals and the organization of future meetings.