Optimization of process variables for supercritical fluid extraction of ergothioneine and polyphenols from Pleurotus ostreatus and correlation to free-radical scavenging activity

Supercritical carbon dioxide extraction was employed to extract antioxidants from Pleurotus ostreatus. The response surface methodology was employed to determine the optimal conditions for extraction of ergothioneine and polyphenols. The ergothioneine concentration in the mushroom extract was quantified and characterized using high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) followed by tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS). The optimized values of responses were obtained at a pressure of 21 MPa, a temperature of 48 °C and a co-solvent amount of 133 ml, yielding an ergothioneine content of 1.35 mg/g dw, total phenol content of 5.48 mg GAE/g dw, and IC50 for DPPH radical scavenging capacity of 0.008 mg/ml. A higher desirability value of 0.98 for model demonstrated that response surface methodology can be successfully applied for optimizing supercritical carbon dioxide extraction of antioxidants from P. ostreatus. A good correlation was found between DPPH radical scavenging capacity and ergothioneine (R² = 0.94) as well as with polyphenols (R² = 0.95).     

Supercritical carbon dioxide extraction of Capsicum peppers: Global yield and capsaicinoid content

The objective of this study was to select a variety of pepper with high concentration of capsaicin and subject it to supercritical fluid extraction (SFE), in order to determine the best conditions of temperature (40, 50 and 60 °C) and pressure (15, 25 and 35 MPa) in terms of global yield (X₀) and capsaicinoids content of the extracts. The influence of drying process (freeze and oven drying) on X₀, capsaicin (C) and dihydrocapsaicin (DHC) contents and total phenolics was also analyzed. Capsicum frutescens showed the highest levels of capsaicinoids (1516 μg/g fresh fruit). For the responses C and DHC, the extraction conditions of 15 MPa and 40 °C provided the highest concentrations (C ⿿ 42 mg/g extract and DHC ⿿ 18.5 mg/g extract). The freeze drying process resulted in extracts with the highest concentration of capsaicinoids (61 mg/g extract), but in contrast, the phenolics were less susceptible to different drying processes, with a mean concentration of 35 mg GAE/g extract. The kinetics experiments indicated that the extraction rate of oleoresin was slightly slower than that of capsaicinoids at the operation conditions (40 °C and 15 MPa).     

Supercritical CO2 extraction of omega-3 rich oil from Sacha inchi (Plukenetia volubilis L.) seeds

Supercritical carbon dioxide (SC-CO₂) was employed to extract omega-3 rich oil from Sacha inchi (Plukenetia volubilis L.) seeds and partially defatted cake. For ground seeds, the supercritical extraction was carried out at temperatures of 40, 50 and 60 °C and pressures of 300 and 400 bar, and for the cold pressed partially defatted cake, the extraction was carried out with 300 bar at 40 °C and with 400 bar at 60 °C. The global extraction yields (X₀), oil solubility, fatty acid composition of the oil and tocopherol content were determined. The seed samples used in this work contained 54.3% oil, of which 50.5% was linoleinc acid (ω-3). The maximum extraction recovery for the seeds as 92% at 400 bar and 60 °C, but on one occasion a recovery of 99.1% oil was obtained when cold pressed extraction was employed, followed by supercritical extraction at 400 bar and 60 °C. A high tocopherol content of about 2–3 g/kg of oil was obtained.     

Application of response surface methodology to extract yields from stinging nettle under supercritical ethanol conditions

Response surface methodology was employed using a central composite design of experiments to optimize experimental conditions for stinging nettle extract yields under supercritical ethanol conditions. The following independent variables were investigated: extraction temperature, extraction time and plant concentration. The most significant factor was found to be the extraction temperature. A correlation coefficient was estimated to be 0.94, which demonstrates the effectiveness of the model. The values of the parameters in optimized conditions for the stinging nettle extract yield included an extraction temperature of 335 °C, an extraction time of 87 min, and a plant concentration of 9.A subsequent validation experiment was carried out at the optimal conditions. The validation experiment showed that the actual and predicted values for the stinging nettle extract yields were 45.3 and 42.7 wt%, respectively. The stinging nettle extracts consisted of a collection of compounds including fatty acid esters (FAE), phenols, indoles, and nitrogen containing compounds.     

Supercritical fluid extraction of Prunus persica leaves and utilization possibilities as a source of phenolic compounds

Mediterranean countries contribute highly on world peach production and tonnes of waste leaves are released due to pruning. The aim of this study was to investigate the utilization possibilities of the leaves by supercritical fluid extraction. A statistical design was used to evaluate the effect of temperature (40–80 °C), pressure (150–300 bar) and concentration of ethanol as co-solvent (6–20%) at a flow rate of 15 g/min and for a duration of 60 min. The most effective variables were found as pressure and co-solvent ratio (p < 0.005). Optimum extraction conditions were elicited as 60 °C, 150 bar and 6% co-solvent yielding a total phenol content of 79.92 mg GAE/g extract, EC₅₀ value of 232.20 μg/ml and a radical scavenging activity of 53.25% which was higher than the value obtained by conventional solvent extraction method (32.23%). Consequently, Prunus persica L. leaves were found as a potential phenolic source for industrial applications.     

Effects of supercritical CO2 extracts of Melia azedarach L. on the control of fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda)

This work reports the use of Melia azedarach L. extracts obtained from supercritical carbon dioxide extraction (SC-CO₂) as an insecticidal agent against fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda). For this purpose, SC-CO₂ extractions were performed, varying the pressure (150–250 bar), temperature (313–333 K), sample particle size and extraction time. Secondary metabolites from the classes of coumarins, sterols and terpenes were identified in the extracts, with the triterpene melianone being the major constituent. For the biological activity tests, diets were prepared with different SC-CO₂ extract concentrations (100, 500, 1000 and 5000 mg/kg) and offered to S. frugiperda (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae). The results indicated that mortality increased with increasing extract concentrations with 50% mortality (LC₅₀) at a concentration of 376.74 mg/kg and reaching 100% mortality at 5000 mg/kg. The inhibition of insect growth was observed at higher concentrations due to the antifeedant action of the extract. At the lowest extract concentration (100 mg/kg), ingestion caused low pupal viability and adults presenting morphological deformities, which thus indicated a chronic toxicity effect.     

Chromium (VI) removal by methylated biomass of Spirulina platensis: The effect of methylation process

Biosorption of heavy metals is an interesting approach to treat industrial wastewaters by an environmentally friendly system. Spirulina platensis biomass, an effective biosorbent for cations, cannot be used to adsorb chromate due to its negatively charged surface close to neutral conditions; therefore, methylation of biomass was performed to increase its adsorption capacity under these conditions. Batch adsorption tests carried out varying both Cr(VI) and methylated biomass concentrations showed that 2–4 g l^?1 of biosorbent were able to remove Cr(VI) with efficiency ≥80%, while higher Cr(VI) levels (43–50 mg l^?1) showed low removal efficiency. The model of Langmuir was shown to describe the adsorption phenomenon better than the Freundlich one. The values of the overall adsorption capacity of methylated biomass suggested that increased biosorbent availability does not necessarily correspond to larger amount of adsorbed metal. FT-IR spectra of dried and methylated biomass of S. platensis allowed us monitoring the efficiency of the methylation process through the analysis of CH and COO^? vibrational stretching modes, taken as diagnostic of this process.     

Phenolic and flavonoid content and antioxidants capacity of pressurized liquid extraction and perculation method from roots of Scutellaria pinnatifida A. Hamilt. subsp alpina (Bornm) Rech. f.

The extract was separated from roots of Scutellaria pinnatifida using perculation and pressurized liquid extraction (PLE). A circumscribed central composite (CCC) was used to optimize the effective extraction variables. For achieving maximum extraction yield via PLE the temperature, pressure, static time, dynamic time, and the solvent flow rate were adjusted 65.8 °C, 39.2 bar, 12.9 min, 18.9 min, and 0.76 mL/min, respectively. Ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) (mmol/g) and 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity (mg/mL) were evaluated and the highest antioxidant activity was observed from the PLE extract. The total phenolic and flavonoid content was calculated and a good correlation founded between phenolic content and antioxidant activity. The results indicated the root of this plant is a potential source of natural antioxidants and flavonoids. The PLE method is quicker and it has more extraction yield than perculation.     

Design and optimization of a semi-continuous high pressure carbon dioxide extraction system for acetic acid

Supercritical fluid extraction with carbon dioxide was performed to extract acetic acid from real and model solutions of cow rumen fluid. Extractions were performed at varying temperature, pressure, solvent flow rate and extraction times for determining the extraction efficiency using a response surface statistical design. Within the range of variables studied, maximum acetic acid recovery of 93% was predicted at 2.0 g CO₂/min solvent flow rate, 2150 psi (14.8 MPa), 45 °C, and a 5 h extraction time using an initial acetic acid concentration of 92.4 g/L. A volumetric mass transfer coefficient of 2.848 h⁻¹ at 35 °C and 1500 psi (10.3 MPa) was calculated using a two-film linear driving force mass transfer model. The developed statistical model was tested for applicability on an acetic acid-spiked cow rumen fluid giving comparable results to the developed model. Results further showed that higher molecular weight volatile fatty acids such as propionic and butyric acid present in the fluid were preferentially removed before acetic acid extraction.     

Allelopathic properties of the fractions obtained from sunflower leaves using supercritical carbon dioxide: The effect of co-solvent addition

The work described here is a continuation of a previous study centered on the extraction, using supercritical carbon dioxide, of bioactive substances from sunflower leaves of the Helianthus annuus L. variety Arianna. In this study the addition of 9% of ethanol as co-solvent was analyzed. The extraction was carried out (P = 100/400 bar, T = 35/55 °C, ethanol = 9%) in order to analyze the influence of pressure, temperature and sample pre-treatment on the extraction yield and bioactivity of the extracts. The addition of 9% of ethanol to the supercritical solvent enhanced both the extraction yield and the biological activity of the extracts. The best conditions were a pressure of 400 bar and a temperature of 55 °C. In an effort to improve the bioactivity of the extract, a cascade fractionation of the extracts was carried out and this gave different results in terms of biological activities and extraction yields. The phytochemical compositions of the extracts were analyzed by thin layer chromatography. The fractionation that gave the best results was carried out at 90 bar and 40 °C in the first separator. Finally, the effect of extracts on the growth of seeds from different plants was analyzed.     

Subcritical water extraction of steviol glycosides from Stevia rebaudiana leaves and characterization of the raffinate phase

The objectives of this work were to obtain steviol glycosides of S. rebaudiana leaves, possessing natural and noncaloric sweetener properties, using subcritical water extraction; to assess optimum extraction conditions; to determine biological activities of Stevia extracts and to characterize the raffinate phase. A Box–“Bhenken” statistical design was used to evaluate the effects of various values of temperature (100–150 °C), time (30–60 min) and flow rate (2–6 ml/min) at a pressure of 230 bar applying a solid/liquid ratio of 1:10 (m:v). The most effective parameter was temperature (p < 0.005). Optimum extraction conditions were elicited as 125 °C, 45 min, 4 ml/min flow rate which yielded 38.67 mg/g stevioside and 35.68 mg/g rebaudioside A. The total phenolic, flavonoid contents and DPPH free radical scavenging activity were found as 48.63 mg gallic acid/g extract, 29.81 mg quercetin/g extract and 92.50%, respectively. After extraction, total chlorophyll, carotenoid contents and dietary fibers were quantified as 31.91 mg/100 g, 5.71 mg/100 g and 4.98% in the raffinate phase. Hence, both extract and raffinate phases of S. rebaudiana leaves can be utilized as sources of natural sweeteners, fibers and coloring agents in the industry.     

Enrichment of Nigella damascena extract with volatile compounds using supercritical fluid extraction

β-Elemene, germacrene A and damascenine were extracted from lady-in-a-mist (Nigella damascena L.) seeds with supercritical carbon dioxide at 10–30 MPa and 40–60 °C. The influence of supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) conditions on the yield and concentration of volatiles in the extract and the extraction kinetics were studied. The extraction yields and the apparent solubility of volatile compounds increased with increasing density of CO₂. The highest total yield was obtained at 30 MPa and 40 °C but the selectivity for volatiles was low under these conditions. With respect to both yield of volatiles and their concentration in extract, the best results were at 12 MPa and 40 °C, either with one separator or with additional separator maintained at 5 MPa and 25 °C. The yields of β-elemene, germacrene A and damascenine reached 0.72, 3.31 and 3.65 mg g⁻¹ and their concentration in the extract was 2.62, 12.04 and 13.28 wt.%, respectively. Though the yields of germacrene A and damascenine were by about 20% higher using Soxhlet extraction with hexane than using SFE, their concentration in the extract where fatty oil prevailed was only 1.19 and 1.20 wt.%, respectively. Under the conditions of hydrodistillation, partial conversion of germacrene A to β-elemene occurred and its yield was higher than using the other methods but the composition of volatiles in the SFE extracts better corresponds to the original raw material.     

Supercritical fluid extraction from Priprioca: Extraction yield and mathematical modeling based on phase equilibria between solid and supercritical phases

This study aimed to investigate the supercritical carbon dioxide extraction of Cyperus articulatus L. (Priprioca). Before the experiments were performed, the raw material was cleaned, vacuum packed and maintained at −5 °C. The moisture content of the material was determined using an oven with forced air circulation operating at 105 °C. The material was then ground, and the mean diameter of the resulting particles was determined using a set of standard sieves. Extraction was performed at pressures of 100–300 bar, temperatures of 40–50 °C, and extraction times up to 240 min using supercritical carbon dioxide as the solvent. For each load, approximately 50 g of Priprioca was packed into the extractor. According to the experimental results, the yields of extraction were significantly influenced by pressure and temperature. Additionally, this paper provides a mathematical model of the supercritical extraction of Priprioca. The employed mathematical model was based on the mass conservation law, which included two partial differential equations for the solute concentration in the solid and fluid phases. By applying a novel method, the distribution coefficient of the extract between supercritical fluid and solid phases was obtained using the criterion of equal fugacity at equilibrium. The model-predicted extraction yield was then compared with the corresponding experimental data. Additionally, the reasons for the deviations between the model and the experimental data under certain operational conditions are discussed.     

Optimization of the supercritical fluid coextraction of oil and diterpenes from spent coffee grounds using experimental design and response surface methodology

The reported work aimed at the optimization of operating conditions of the supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) of spent coffee grounds (SCG) using pure or modified CO₂, with particular emphasis on oil enrichment with diterpenes like kahweol, cafestol and 16-O-methylcafestol. The analysis comprised the application of Box–Behnken design of experiments and response surface methodology, and involved three operating variables: pressure (140–190 bar), temperature (40–70 °C) and cosolvent (ethanol) addition (0–5 wt.%). The best conditions to maximize total extraction yield are 190 bar/55 °C/5 wt.% EtOH, leading to 11.97% (g_oil/100 g_SCG). In terms of the concentration of diterpenic compounds in the supercritical extracts, the best operating conditions are 140 bar/40 °C/0 wt.% EtOH, providing 102.90 mg g⁻¹_oil. The measurement of extraction curves near optimized conditions (140 bar/55 °C/0 wt.% EtOH and 190 bar/55 °C/0 wt.% EtOH) confirmed the trends of the statistical analysis and revealed that SFE enhances diterpenes concentration by 212–410% at the expenses of reducing the extraction yield between 39% and 79% in comparison to n-hexane extraction.     

Supercritical carbon dioxide extraction of Gac oil

Supercritical carbon dioxide extraction of Gac (Momordica cochinchinensis Spreng) aril was performed at pressures ranging from 200 to 400 bar, temperatures from 313 to 343 K and specific flow rates from 50 to 90 kg h⁻¹ CO₂ kg⁻¹ Gac aril. Total oil recovery and carotenes concentration were investigated in the course of extraction. Mathematical modelling of oil solubility data was also performed. The results showed that at specific flow rate of 70 kg h⁻¹ kg⁻¹, pressure of 400 bar and temperature of 343 K, Gac oil recovery exceeded 95% after 120 min of extraction. Gac oil loading of supercritical carbon dioxide was successfully described by Chrastil's model. Carotenes concentration of extracted Gac oil was found at level of thousands of ppm.     

Ethanol modified supercritical carbon dioxide extraction of flavonoids from Momordica charantia L. and its antioxidant activity

Ethanol modified supercritical carbon dioxide (SC-CO₂) extraction of flavonoids from Momordica charantia L. fruits and its antioxidant activity were performed. The influences of parameters such as temperature, extraction time and pressure on the yield of flavonoids were investigated. The antioxidant activities of flavonoids were assessed by means of 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical-scavenging assay and β-carotene bleaching test. The experimental data obtained indicated that pressure, temperature and time had significant effect on the extraction yield. The optimum extraction conditions, determined by the 3D response surface and contour plots derived from the mathematical models, were as follows: extraction temperature 46 °C, pressure 33.4 MPa, and extraction time 53.2 min. Under these conditions, the experimental value was 15.47 mg/g, which was well matched with value predicted by the model. The antioxidant activity of flavonoids obtained by ethanol modified SC-CO₂ extraction method had higher antioxidant activity than the flavonoids extracted by conventional solvent extraction (CSE) method. The DPPH radical-scavenging ability of flavonoids obtained by ethanol modified SC-CO₂ extraction method reached to 96.14 ± 1.02%, equivalent to the clearance rate of ascorbic acid at 1.2 mg/mL. Results indicated that ethanol modified SC-CO₂ extraction was a suitable approach for the selective extraction of flavonoids from M. charantia L.     

Effects of supercritical CO2 extraction parameters on soybean oil yield

A series of operational parameters of supercritical fluid extraction of soybean oil (pressure: 300–500 bar, temperature: 40–60 °C, CO₂ mass flow rate: 0.194–0.436 kg/h and characteristic particle size: 0.238–1.059 mm) were investigated in a laboratory scale apparatus. The results show that the extraction yields were significantly affected by applied operational extraction parameters. The increase in pressure, temperature and solvent flow rate improved the extraction yield. The extraction yield increased as the particle size decreased depending on decreasing intra-particle diffusion resistance. To describe the extraction process Sovova's model was used and very good agreement with the experimental results was obtained. Based on the experimental data the internal and external mass transfer coefficients were estimated. To explore the influence of the extractor size on this process, soybean samples were extracted using different extraction basket volumes (0.2 L and 5 L) and related model parameters were examined. The mass transfer coefficient in the fluid phase increased with the increase in extractor size, while the mass transfer coefficient in the solid phase was independent of the extractor size.     

Supercritical fluid extracts with antioxidant and antimicrobial activities from myrtle (Myrtus communis L.) leaves. Response surface optimization

Supercritical Fluid Extraction (SFE) was used to obtain myrtle leaf extracts, and to study the antioxidant capacity (AOC) and in vitro antimicrobial activity of those extracts. To optimize the SFE operational conditions, the response surface methodology (RSM) was adopted. The parameters studied were: pressure (P), within the range 10 to 30 MPa; temperature (T), between 35 °C and 60 °C and supercritical carbon dioxide (SCCO₂) flow rate (Q) within the range 0.15 to 0.45 kg h⁻¹. The results show a good fit to the proposed model and the optimal conditions obtained (23 MPa, 45 °C, and SCCO₂ flow rate of 0.3 kg h⁻¹) were within the experimental range. The predicted values agreed with experimental ones, thus indicating the suitability of the RSM model for the optimization of the extraction conditions being investigated. With those values remaining constant, ethanol as a co-solvent was then studied. There was an observed rise in AOC as the amount of ethanol increased, within the range studied (0–30 wt% ethanol). The extract with the highest AOC was tested for its antimicrobial activity against gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values obtained showed significant inhibitory effect against gram-positive bacteria.     

Decaffeinated black tea: Process optimization and phenolic profiles

The low-quality black tea was extracted at 27 different conditions using a lab-scale supercritical fluid extraction system according to four factor, three level Box–Behnken design [pressure (150–450 bar), temperature (40–80 °C), modifier flow rate (0.5–1.0 ml/min), and ethanol concentration in aqueous solution (75–100%)] at constant CO₂ flow rate (2 l/min). Response surface methodology was used in order to optimize the extraction conditions for obtaining minimum caffeine and maximum phenolic profiles of the decaffeinated black tea. The R² values for caffeine and phenolics were 99.5 and 96.6%, respectively. The lowest caffeine and the highest phenolics were obtained at following conditions [pressure (300 bar), temperature (53 °C), modifier flow rate (0.70 ml/min), and ethanol concentration (87.5%)] for 1 h. Using these conditions, the average loss of caffeine and phenolics in the decaffeinated tea were 99.8 and 3.3%, respectively. The present work suggests that optimum extraction conditions found can be applied for a pilot or large-scale production of decaffeinated black tea.     

Optimization of multi-stage countercurrent extraction of antioxidants from Ginkgo biloba L. leaves

Multi-stage countercurrent extraction (MCE) as a novel extraction technique was used to extract antioxidants from Ginkgo biloba leaves. Orthogonal array design (OAD) was employed to optimize the ratio of 60% ethanol to raw material (8–16 mL/g), extraction time (30–60 min) and extraction temperature (60–80 °C) to obtain a high yield of antioxidants from G. biloba leaves by MCE. The optimum conditions were a ratio of 60% ethanol to raw material of 16 mL/g and extraction time of 30 min at 80 °C. Under these conditions, the yields of flavonoids and total phenolics were 1.74% and 2.42%, respectively, and DPPH radicals scavenging activity of the extract was 89.97%. Compared with heat-reflux extraction, MCE had obvious advantages of less extraction time and lower solvent and energy consumption. It may be used as a promising technique for the extraction of bioactive compounds from plant materials.