Extraction of ewe's milk cream with supercritical carbon dioxide

The extraction of ewe's milk cream by supercritical carbon dioxide in the pressure range 9–30 MPa (90–300 bar) and at temperatures of 40 °C and 50 °C was studied. The solubility of total fat increased with pressure at both temperatures until a plateau was reached. The extraction of cholesterol also increased with pressure until a plateau was reached and it was higher at 50 °C than at 40 °C when the pressure was ≥15 MPa (150 bar). The triglyceride composition of each extract, determined by GC, showed that extracts obtained at lower pressures were enriched in short-chain triglycerides and their concentration decreased as the pressure increased. In the other hand, long-chain triglycerides were enriched in the extracts obtained at higher pressures and their concentration rose with increasing pressure.