Patent ID: 8778414

Claim:
An apparatus for increasing extracts taken from cellular plant tissue comprises: a preparation container for holding the cellular plant tissue, the container having an inlet or opening to receive a fluid to wet the cellular plant tissue and take extracts from the cellular plant tissue to create a fluid with extracts mixture, and an outlet to pass the fluid with extracts mixture; a holding vessel to receive the fluid with extracts; and an acoustic shock wave device for generating and transmitting shock waves to the wet cellular plant tissue to enhance release of extracts into the fluid wherein the acoustic shock wave has a very rapid pressure spike the amplitude of the positive part is above 0.1 MPa and the cycle time duration is from below a microsecond to a second with the rise time of the positive part of the pressure cycle being in the range of nanoseconds up to milliseconds, achieved in an extremely short duration accordingly as the wave approaches a cell it compresses the cell initially, thereafter the pressure of the wave drops in a slower fashion as it continues across the cell that tends to put tension on the cell wall as it relaxes from the sudden compressive rise in pressure causing the cell wall to rebound in a spring like fashion and stretches slightly increasing permeability, rapid bombardment of the acoustic waves in a pattern sequence, which first compresses then stretches, and creates a rapid cellular squeezing effect enhancing permeability into and out of the cell walls wherein the cellular plant tissue is completely immersed in fluid with no air gaps or voids to impede the acoustic wave patterns, the acoustic shock wave device for generating and transmitting being an electro-hydraulic, electromagnetic, piezoceramic or ballistic device wherein the pressure pulse source is a point source generated by an electrical discharge of an electrode, electromagnet or piezoceramic device under water or by an explosion to create acoustic shock waves exhibiting asymmetric ballistic pressure pulses for creating the rapid peak rise times.