Extraction of phenolic fraction from guava seeds (Psidium guajava L.) using supercritical carbon dioxide and co-solvents

In this work the supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) with carbon dioxide (CO₂) and with ethyl acetate (EtAc) and ethanol (EtOH) as co-solvents was applied to obtain the phenolic fraction from guava seeds (Psidium guajava L.). The extraction was explored at various operating conditions, using 10, 20 and 30 MPa and 40, 50 and 60 °C. The use of EtAc and EtOH as co-solvents in SFE was also studied. The supercritical process was compared with traditional techniques such as Soxhlet extraction using EtAc and EtOH as solvents. The quality of the different extracts, obtained using SFE and Soxhlet methods and different solvents, was evaluated through the antioxidant activity, obtained by the collection methods of scavenging DPPH and bleaching of β-carotene, and also through the total phenolic content (TPC) of the samples, by the Folin-Ciocalteu method. The antioxidant potential indicates the use of ethanol as co-solvent as the best modifier in SFE, used in concentration of 10% (w/w) at 50 °C and 30 MPa. The quality of the extracts obtained by SFE with EtOH varied with the operating conditions of temperature and pressure, with higher values obtained at 10 and 20 MPa for TPC results and also antioxidant methods. The process yield of the phenolic fraction was also evaluated for all the extraction procedures studied (SFE and Soxhlet), with results varying from 0.380 to 1.738% (w/w).     

The analysis of simultaneous clove/oregano and clove/thyme supercritical extraction

The goal of present work was to investigate and explain kinetics and mass transfer phenomena occurring during the SFE from the mixture of two plants with different initial composition. The extractions from pure clove, oregano and thyme as well as from clove/oregano (C/O) and clove/thyme (C/T) mixtures with various initial compositions of plant material were carried out using supercritical CO₂ at 10 MPa and 40 °C. The results indicated that presence of light compounds in supercritical CO₂ originated from the oregano leaves or thyme at the beginning of extraction process increases the extraction rate of compounds from clove bud. Only small added amounts of oregano or thyme to clove bud (C/O - 90:10%, w/w; or C/T - 84:16%, w/w) in the starting plant mixture had the same effect resulted in the similar and the highest increase of the extraction rate and had negligible influence on total extraction yield compared to extract isolated from pure clove. Different mathematical models were used for simulation of experimental data which showed that the highest increase of the solubility of extractable compounds in supercritical CO₂ as well as the highest mass transfer rate in the solid phase during extractions existed during extraction from C/O (90:10, w/w) and C/T (84:16, w/w) mixtures. Decrease of SC CO₂ consumption or shorter time of extraction necessary for achieving desired extract yield in the case of SFE of the clove buds could be important for industrial-scale application.     

Supercritical CO2 extraction of Helichrysum italicum: Influence of CO2 density and moisture content of plant material

Kinetics and selectivity of supercritical carbon dioxide (SC CO₂) extraction of Helichrysum italicum flowers were analyzed at pressures in the range of 10-20 MPa and temperatures of 40 °C and 60 °C (density of SC CO₂ from 290 to 841 kg/m³) and also at 10 MPa and 40 °C using flowers with different moisture contents (10.5% and 28.4%). Increased moisture content of H. italicum flowers resulted in enchased solubility of solute enabling decrease of SC CO₂ consumption necessary for achieving desired extraction yield. The most abundant compounds in the supercritical extracts are sesquiterpenes and waxes while monoterpenes and sesquiterpenes are the main constituents of essential oil obtained by hydrodistillation. The optimal set of working parameters with respect to extraction yield, SC CO₂ consumption and chemical composition of extract were defined related to moisture content of raw material and SC CO₂ density.     

Extraction of sage (Salvia officinalis L.) by supercritical CO2: Kinetic data, chemical composition and selectivity of diterpenes

The supercritical carbon dioxide (SFE) extraction of Dalmatian sage (Salvia officinalis L.) was investigated and compared to extraction performed by Soxhlet ethanol-water (70:30) mixture extraction (SE) and hydrodistillation (HD). The supercritical extraction allowed isolation of wide spectrum of phytochemicals, while other applied methods were limited to either volatiles (HD) or high molecular compounds isolation (SE). The kinetics of the supercritical extraction and fractionation within the pressure range of 10-30 MPa at 50 °C were also analyzed as well as the chemical compositions of total extract and partial or differential fractions isolated at different CO₂ consumption. Volatile fraction could be isolated at low pressure and low CO₂ consumption, whereby the pressures between 10 and 15 MPa followed by increased CO₂ consumption were favourable for obtaining desired selectivity of diterpenes which contain compounds with expressed antioxidative characteristics.     

Impregnation of vitamin E acetate on silica mesoporous phases using supercritical carbon dioxide

Impregnation of a drug model (α-tocopheryl acetate) into mesoporous host matrices has been carried out using supercritical carbon dioxide (SC CO₂) as impregnation solvent at 15 MPa and 313 K with a flow rate of 500 g h⁻¹. The operating conditions were defined following the solute concentration in the fluid phase as a function of pressure and carbon dioxide flow rate. Solubility measurements of α-tocopheryl acetate were first performed at 313 K for pressures ranging 10-20 MPa. High values of solubility in SC CO₂ were measured: 6 wt% at 10 MPa and 14 wt% at 20 MPa. Measurements of the concentration of the solute in SC CO₂ in the experimental conditions of impregnation in dynamic mode showed than it was ten times lower than the solubility. The variations of this concentration have been studied at 313 K, for a pressure varying from 8 to 15 MPa, and for a carbon dioxide flow rate varying from 120 to 600 g h⁻¹. Two different host matrices were used: a commercial chromatographic silica support and a MCM-41-type mesoporous organized silica synthetized at the laboratory. This latter showed the best drug loading of 1.14 g per gram of adsorbent. The drug loadings obtained in supercritical media were similar to the ones obtained in liquid media using hexane as impregnation solvent. Nevertheless, the maximum loading was obtained after 1 h of impregnation in SC media while 4 h were needed in liquid media.     

Study on supercritical extraction of lipids and enrichment of DHA from oil-rich microalgae

The present study aims to isolate the lipids from microalgae by supercritical CO₂ (SC-CO₂) extraction followed by a further enrichment of crude lipids to produce high-purity docosahexenoic acid (DHA) by an urea complexation method. Our systematic approach indicates the optimum conditions of supercritical CO₂ extraction were obtained as follows: 35 MPa, 40 °C, ethanol (95%, v/v) as the co-solvent, and the mass ratio of material to co-solvent 1:1. Under these conditions, 33.9% of lipid yield and 27.5% of DHA content were achieved. Despite the relatively low lipid yield, supercritical CO₂ extraction has exhibited many advantages over the Soxhlet extraction for the DHA enrichment such as high DHA purity and superb product quality. Furthermore, urea complexation method on DHA enrichment considerably increased the DHA purity from 29.7% to 60.4% with an enrichment ratio of 60.6%, under the optimum complexation conditions of urea/fatty acid 2:1, complexation time 8 h, and the complexation temperature of −10 °C.     

Comparison of supercritical CO2 and hexane extraction of lipids from sorghum distillers grains

Total yields and compositions of sorghum dried distillers grains with solubles (DDGS) lipids obtained by supercritical CO₂ (SC‐CO₂) extraction were compared with those obtained by recirculated solvent extraction (RSE) with hexane. The total yield of lipids obtained by SC‐CO₂ extraction at 27.5 MPa and 70 °C was 150 g lipids/kg DDGS, while the yield obtained by RSE with hexane at 69 °C was only 85 g lipids/kg DDGS. The contents of four high‐value compounds, i.e., policosanols, phytosterols, free fatty acids (FFA) and tocols, in the lipids obtained by SC‐CO₂ extraction were 31.2, 15.6, 155.3 and 0.50 mg/g at 27.5 MPa and 70 °C, compared to 26.6, 9.6, 57.3 and 0.03 mg/g for RSE with hexane at 69 °C. The profiles of phytosterols and FFA in the sorghum DDGS lipids were relatively independent of the extraction methods and operating conditions.     

Optimization of supercritical carbon dioxide extraction of Passiflora seed oil

This study investigates extraction of Passiflora seed oil by using supercritical carbon dioxide. Artificial neural network (ANN) and response surface methodology (RSM) were applied for modeling and the prediction of the oil extraction yield. Moreover, process optimization were carried out by using both methods to predict the best operating conditions, which resulted in the maximum extraction yield of the Passiflora seed oil. The maximum extraction yield of Passiflora seed oil was estimated by ANN to be 26.55% under the operational conditions of temperature 56.5 °C, pressure 23.3 MPa, and the extraction time 3.72 h; whereas the optimum oil extraction yield was 25.76% applying the operational circumstances of temperature 55.9 °C, pressure 25.8 MPa, and the extraction time 3.95 h by RSM method. In addition, mean-squared-error (MSE) and relative error methods were utilized to compare the predicted values of the oil extraction yield obtained from both models with the experimental data. The results of the comparison reveal the superiority of ANN model compared to RSM model.     

Ethanol-Modified Supercritical Carbon Dioxide Extraction of the Bioactive Lipid Components of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Camelina sativa</Emphasis> Seed

Camelina sativa seed is an underutilized oil source that attracts a growing interest, but it requires more research on its composition and processing. Its high omega‐3 content and growing demand for clean food processing technologies make conventional oil extraction less attractive. In this study, the effect of extraction methods on the bioactive lipid composition of the camelina seed lipid was investigated, and its bioactive lipid composition was modified at the extraction stage using ethanol‐modified supercritical carbon dioxide (SC‐CO₂). Ethanol‐modified SC‐CO₂ extractions were carried out at varying temperatures (50 and 70 °C), pressures (35 and 45 MPa), and ethanol concentrations (0–10%, w/w), and were compared to SC‐CO₂, cold press, and hexane extraction. The highest total lipid yield (37.6%) was at 45 MPa/70 °C/10% (w/w) ethanol. Phospholipids and phenolic content increased significantly with ethanol‐modified SC‐CO₂ (p < 0.05). SC‐CO₂ with 10% (w/w) ethanol concentration selectively increased phosphatidylcholine (PC) content. Apparent solubility of camelina seed lipids in SC‐CO₂, determined using the Chrastil model, ranged from 0.0065 kg oil/kg CO₂ (35 MPa/50 °C) to 0.0133 kg oil/kg CO₂ (45 MPa/70 °C). Ethanol‐modified SC‐CO₂ extraction allowed modification of the lipid composition that was not possible with the conventional extraction methods. This is a promising green method for extraction and fractionation of camelina seed lipids to separate and enrich its bioactives.     

Thermodynamic modeling of dealcoholization of beverages using supercritical CO2: Application to wine samples

The supercritical removal of ethanol from alcoholic beverages (brandy, wine, and cider) was studied using the GC-EoS model to represent the phase equilibria behavior of the CO₂ + beverage mixture. Each alcoholic drink was represented as the ethanol + water mixture with the corresponding ethanol concentration (35 wt% for brandy, 9-12 wt% for different wines and 6 wt% for cider). The thermodynamic modeling was based on an accurate representation of the CO₂ + ethanol and CO₂ + water binary mixtures, and the CO₂ + ethanol + water ternary mixture.The GC-EoS model was employed to simulate the countercurrent supercritical CO₂ dealcoholization of the referred beverages; the results obtained compared good with experimental data from the literature. Thus, the model was used to estimate process conditions to achieve an ethanol content reduction from ca. 10 wt% to values lower than 1 wt%. The model results were tested by carrying out several extraction assays using wine, in a 3 m height packed column at 308 K, pressures in the range of 9-18 MPa and solvent to wine ratio between 9 and 30 kg/kg.     

Optimization of total alkannin yields of Alkanna tinctoria by using sub- and supercritical carbon dioxide extraction

The effects of supercritical carbondioxide extraction was investigated to compare previously validated extraction methods on total alkannin yield with Alkanna tinctoria collected form Antalya, Turkey. A two-step process was used; extraction of alkannin derivatives with supercritical CO₂ followed by alkaline hydrolysis of alkannin derivatives. A Box-Behnken exprerimental design was used to evaluate the effect of three variables, pressure (50-350 bar), temperature (30-80 °C) and CO₂ flow (5-20 g min⁻¹) at 1:30 ratio of alkanna root:CO₂ amount. Response surface analysis revealed that the data were adequately fitted to a second-order polynomial model with R² 0.9665 and the most effective variable was pressure (P ≤ 0.05). Optimum conditions were determined as 80 °C, 175 bar, 5 g min⁻¹ CO₂ flow yielding the highest total alkannins (1.47%) which was higher than conventional hexane extraction (1.24%) providing a solvent-free alternative for industrial production.     

Extraction of the essential oil of abajeru (Chrysobalanus icaco) using supercritical CO2

Abajeru (Chrysobalanus icaco) is a plant that has hypoglycemic properties and is often used in Brazilian popular medicine. In order to identify the flavoring and hypoglycemic substances present in this plant, this work has an objective for the extraction of the essential oil presented in the leaves of abajeru using the supercritical fluid extraction (SFE). The supercritical solvent used is CO₂, because of its moderate critical temperature and pressure, atoxicity, low cost and volatility. The experiments were conducted using dried leaves in an apparatus containing a high-pressure pump, a stainless steel extractor of 42 mL of volume and a micrometric valve for sampling. Different operational conditions were tested, varying mainly the temperature (313.15-353.15 K) and the pressure (10.5-20 kPa) in order to investigate the efficiency of the process. The results showed that the best operational condition was at 20 kPa and 353.15 K. To compare the supercritical carbon dioxide results, the essential oil was also extracted by hydrodistillation and soxhlet, using ethanol as solvent. The chromatographic analysis showed that the different technologies studied extracted the same classes of compounds but the SFE obtained the extract with potential hypoglycemic activity with the presence of lupenol.     

Extraction of sesame seed (Sesamun indicum L.) oil using compressed propane and supercritical carbon dioxide

This work is aimed to investigate the extraction of sesame seed (Sesamun indicum L.) oil using supercritical carbon dioxide and compressed propane as solvents. The extractions were performed in a laboratory scale unit in a temperature and pressure range of 313-333 K and 19-25 MPa for carbon dioxide and 303-333 K and 8-12 MPa for propane extractions, respectively. A 2² factorial experimental design with three replicates of the central point was adopted to organize the data collection for both solvents. The results indicated that solvent and density were important variables for the CO₂ extraction, while temperature is the most important variable for the extraction yield with propane. The extraction with propane was much faster than that with carbon dioxide due to the fact that propane is a better solvent for vegetable oils compared to carbon dioxide. On the other hand, characteristics of extracted oil, its oxidative stability determined by DSC and chemical profile of constituent fatty acids determined by gas chromatography, were similar to both solvents. The mathematical modeling of the extraction kinetics using a second order kinetic presented good results for the extraction with both solvents.     

Continuous production of fatty acid methyl esters from corn oil in a supercritical carbon dioxide bioreactor

Continuous production of fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs) from corn oil was studied in a supercritical carbon dioxide (SC-CO₂) bioreactor using immobilized lipase (Novozym 435) as catalyst. Response surface methodology (RSM) based on central composite rotatable design (CCRD) was employed to investigate and optimize the reaction conditions: pressure (11-35 MPa), temperature (35-63 °C), substrate mole ratio (methanol:corn oil 1-9) and CO₂ flow rate (0.4-3.6 L/min, measured at ambient conditions). Increasing the substrate mole ratio increased the FAME content, whereas increasing pressure decreased the FAME content. Higher conversions were obtained at higher and lower temperatures and CO₂ flow rates compared to moderate temperatures and CO₂ flow rates. The optimal reaction conditions generated from the predictive model for the maximum FAME content were 19.4 MPa, 62.9 °C, 7.03 substrate mole ratio and 0.72 L/min CO₂ flow rate. The optimum predicted FAME content was 98.9% compared to an actual value of 93.3 ± 1.1% (w/w). The SC-CO₂ bioreactor packed with immobilized lipase shows great potential for biodiesel production.     

Equilibrium solubilities of a p-toluenesulfonamide and sulfanilamide mixture in supercritical carbon dioxide with and without ethanol

Supercritical separation processes for a multi-component mixture of solutes are of practical interest. In this study, the experimental equilibrium solubilities of two solute mixtures, p-toluenesulfonamide (p-TSA) and sulfanilamide (SNA), in supercritical carbon dioxide (SC CO₂) were measured at temperatures of 308, 318 and 328 K and pressures in the range of 11.0-21.0 MPa using a dynamic flow method. The effect of cosolvent on the multi-component system was investigated by the addition of a 3.5 mol% ethanol. In the ternary system (p-TSA + SNA + CO₂), the solubility of SNA increased as compared to its binary system (SNA + CO₂), while the solubility of p-TSA decreased. In the quaternary system (p-TSA + SNA + ethanol + CO₂), a significant solubility enhancement was observed for both p-TSA and SNA. The selectivity, which is thought to imply the intermolecular interactions between p-TSA and SNA, was also enhanced by the presence of ethanol so that the two solutes could be separated by a max. purity of 99.4%. The influence of the hydrogen bond interaction on solubility was discussed. The equations of Chrastil, Méndez-Santiago and Teja, and their modified forms were used to correlate the experimental data.     

Extraction of oil from chia seeds with supercritical CO2

Chia (Salvia Hispanic, L.) is a crop that was used as food, medicine and paints by the Aztec Indians in Mexico before 1492, and now has a promissory future in several countries. Chia seeds oil is rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids, particularly omega-3 linolenic acid (54-67%) and omega-6 linoleic acid (12-21%) which pose great benefits for human and animal health.The oil extraction from Chia seeds using supercritical CO₂ seems to be a good alternative because it operates at low temperature with good mass-transfer rates and with no solvent residual in the final product.The objective of this work is to evaluate the extraction yield of oil from chia seeds and the concentration of omega-3 and omega-6 acids using supercritical extraction with CO₂ at three pressures: 136, 272, and 408 bar, and three temperatures: 40, 60, and 80 °C.     

Prediction of solute solubility in supercritical carbon dioxide: A novel semi-empirical model

Solubility data of solutes in supercritical fluids (SCF) are crucial for designing extraction processes, such as extraction using SCF or micronization of drug powders. A new empirical equation is proposed to correlate solute solubility in supercritical carbon dioxide (SC CO₂) with temperature, pressure and density of pure SC CO₂. The proposed equation is ln y₂ = J₀ + J₁P² + J₂T² + J₃ ln ρ where y₂ is the mole fraction solubility of the solute in the supercritical phase, J₀ − J₃ are the model constants calculated by least squares method, P (bar) is the applied pressure, T is temperature (K) and ρ is the density of pure SC CO₂. The accuracy of the proposed model and three other empirical equations employing P, T and ρ variables was evaluated using 16 published solubility data sets by calculating the average of absolute relative deviation (AARD). The mean AARD for the proposed model is 7.46 (±4.54) %, which is an acceptable error when compared with the experimental uncertainty. The AARD values for other equations were 11.70 (±23.10), 6.895 (± 3.81) and 6.39 (±6.41). The mean AARD of the new equation is significantly lower than that obtained from Chrastil et al. model and has the same accuracy as compared with Bartle et al. and Mèndez-Santiago–Teja model. The proposed model presents more accurate correlation for solubility data in SC CO₂. It can be employed to speed up the process of SCF applications in industry.     

Lipase-catalyzed esterification of citronellol with lauric acid in supercritical carbon dioxide/co-solvent media

Direct esterification of citronellol and lauric acid catalyzed by immobilized lipase B from Candida antarctica was performed in supercritical carbon dioxide with different organic solvents and ionic liquids serving as co-solvents. The highest concentration of citronellol laurate after 1 h of reaction performance (3.95 mmol/g substrates) was obtained in SC CO₂ with ethyl methylketone serving as a co-solvent. The optimal temperature and pressure for citronellol laurate synthesis in SC CO₂/EMK medium was determined to be 60 °C and 10 MPa.     

Reactivity of α-pinene epoxide in supercritical solvents

Thermal transformations of α-pinene epoxide in composite supercritical solvents that contain CO₂, lower alcohols (ethanol, isopropyl alcohol) and water were studied in the temperature range of 387-575 K at pressure 13.5-21.5 MPa. Campholenic aldehyde and carveol were shown to be the main products of α-pinene epoxide reactions in supercritical solvents containing water. In the absence of water, thermolysis of α-pinene epoxide in supercritical solvent yields campholenic aldehyde and pinocamphone, with their total amount in the reaction mixture attaining 80%. Suggestions were made on the mechanism of α-pinene epoxide thermal isomerization depending on acidity of supercritical solvent.     

Supercritical fluid extracts from tamarillo (Solanum betaceum Sendtn) epicarp and its application as protectors against lipid oxidation of cooked beef meat

The possibility of using the tamarillo (Solanum betaceum (Cav.) Sendtn (syn. Cyphomandra betacea)) epicarp as source of compounds with antioxidant activity in cooked beef meat (CBM) was explored. Extracts from tamarillo by supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) and Soxhlet extraction (SE) were obtained. The SFE was performed using pure CO₂ at different temperatures and pressures (40 and 50 °C; 10, 20 and 30 MPa) and CO₂ added with ethanol (CO₂/EtOH) as co-solvent (2, 5 and 8%, w/w). The SFE kinetics and mathematical modeling of the overall extraction curves (OEC) were also investigated. EtOH and hexane were used in the SE. The antioxidant activity (AA) of extracts was evaluated in CBM as well as the protection against lipid oxidation was determined by measuring lipid hydroperoxides (LHP) and thiobarbituric acid reactive species (TBARS). The extract obtained by SFE with CO₂/EtOH (50 °C/30 MPa and 2% of EtOH) showed the highest AA. In SFE, the co-solvent addition improved considerably the AA and the extraction yield. The extracts obtained by SFE with CO₂/EtOH showed a better AA compared with the synthetic antioxidant TBHQ. The highest yield values were achieved by SE with ethanol (7.7 ± 0.4%) and by SFE with 5% EtOH (1.9 ± 0.1%). The results indicate that extracts of tamarillo epicarp are a potential source of antioxidant compounds.