Manufacturing High-Quality Nutraceuticals Necessitate Supercritical Co2 Extraction

Supercritical CO2 is carbon dioxide that has been compressed and heated beyond its critical point (31.1 oC, 1081 psi). There are many advantages to using this fluid, including minimal cost and no residual solvents, but these are only a few of them. The carbon dioxide used in supercritical CO2 activities is simply diverted from other large-scale industrial processes using extraction or separation equipment. Supercritical CO2 is used in a range of green chemical processes because of its minimal environmental effect.

As a solvent for industrial processes, supercritical CO2 has become a popular choice due to its low cost, as well as its nontoxicity and lack of volatile properties.

For these reasons, supercritical CO2 is recognized as "GRAS" (Generally Recognized as Safe), which is a necessary classification for industrial applications.

What are some of the advantages and disadvantages of using Supercritical fluid extraction?

In comparison to other common solvents, carbon dioxide has the advantage of not being flammable or dangerous. The disadvantage of this solvent is that it requires a great deal more pressure than hydrocarbon solvents. As an example, a high-quality supercritical CO2 extraction machine will operate at a pressure of 3800 psi or more. Pressures as high as 15000 psi are possible using high-pressure equipment. It takes a significant amount of engineering and expensive equipment to achieve and manage such high pressures. For a fraction of the price of hydrocarbon solvents, and without the need of operating in a hazardous environment, the solvent may be used.

For extractions and separations, supercritical CO2 offers several benefits in terms of 'tunability' since it can be fine-tuned by making incremental temperature and/or pressure adjustments. This allows the solvent's behavior to be very selective when utilized. Due to the comparatively high working pressures of Supercritical CO2, several 'unwanted' extraction/separation results may occur. As an example, in botanical extractions, Supercritical CO2 eliminates a large number of unwanted fats and lipids from plant materials.

In order to determine if you should employ supercritical or subcritical methods, what are some of the most basic approaches?

To describe a state of matter in which it is below the critical point, it is called "sub-critical." Carbon dioxide may exist in a variety of forms, including gas, liquid, and solid. For extractions, liquid phase carbon dioxide is a popular choice since it can be used at lower temperatures. Liquid carbon dioxide has a lesser solubility than supercritical carbon dioxide, which has a higher solubility. The only way to know for sure whether supercritical or subcritical CO2 is better is to conduct experiments and gather data. We provide our clients process development services in exchange for a charge.

Nutraceutical ingredients

For extraction, purification, recrystallization, and fractionation, supercritical fluids are preferred. This technology is used to process hundreds of millions of pounds of coffee, tea, and hops each year. Supercritical CO2 extraction is becoming more popular in the herbal and botanical extracts, vitamins, and supplements sectors since it is linked with the highest purity and quality. 

The rising scrutiny of organic solvents and the demand for improved nutraceuticals and natural commodities have driven the study of alternate and better extraction processes. Astaxanthin from microalgae, paclitaxel from yew needles, and lycopene from tomato peels are some of the active compounds that may be concentrated using supercritical CO2. By fractionating EPA/DHA from fish oils and algae, nutraceutical companies may provide their client's optimal fat ratios. In addition to boosting product concentration and yield, a more efficient extraction process removes solvent residues, which is very important.

In comparison to traditional solvent methods, Supercritical fluid extraction is a more efficient method. High purity and concentrations of the product may be achieved using supercritical fluids. Furthermore, there are no organic solvent residues in either the extract or the waste biomass. For best product stability and quality, extraction is most effective at low working temperatures—less than 50 degrees Celsius, for example.

Creating plant-based nutraceuticals necessitates the use of a supercritical process for three reasons.

No leftover solvents, thus it's pure.

Value-added product made with minimum extraction times, better yields, and reduced maintenance/energy consumption for cost-effectiveness via mechanical innovation

Supercritical CO2 extraction is a non-toxic alternative to traditional extraction methods, resulting in cleaner and healthier end products that may be consumed by humans.

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Supercritical Fluid Extraction of Natural Bioactive Compounds from Natural Plant Materials: Recent Advances

In this blog post, you will read about recent advances in greener technology for extracting natural bioactive components from plant origin sources. Bioactive compounds of plant origin are natural compounds present in small amounts in plants. Due to its human health benefits and characteristics of being eco-friendly, researchers have shown great interest in extracting bioactive compounds. Nowadays, many extraction techniques and conventional extraction methods have developed. However, no extraction technique has been obtainable as a benchmark for extracting natural bioactive compounds from plants. 

Productivity, as well as selectivity of modern and traditional extraction methods, depends on selecting the critical input parameters. These parameters include plant-based samples, the structure of bioactive compounds, and good scientific skills. This blog intends to discuss the recent advances in supercritical fluid extraction methods, especially supercritical CO2. In addition to the supercritical fluid extraction technique, there is the use of fundamental principles for extracting bioactive compounds from natural materials like spices, herbs, aromatic and medicinal plants. 

 

Extraction is one of the most suitable methods used to separate components from plant-based materials. These days, many extraction techniques are used at the laboratory, pilot, and commercial scales by many researchers in order to extract the different target compounds present in plants. 

While talking about bioactive compounds, these are natural secondary metabolites extracted from many plants parts. These plant parts are leaves, stems, roots, seeds, flowers, and fruits by using many extraction procedures. The demand for these compounds is increasing day by day and this is because they are professed as natural and safe for applications in many industries such as food, feed, agriculture, and pharmaceuticals. In addition to this, bioactive compounds have been found to possess a wide spectrum of health-promoting characteristics for animals and humans such as antibacterial, anti-inflammation, anti-aging, and anti-cancer effects.   

 

The extraction method of steam distillation, hydro-distillation, and pressing methods are used to isolate essential oils, fatty acids, phenolic acids, and carotenoids. But these extraction methods have some limitations such as: 

Ø  Time-consuming

Ø  Losing some volatile compounds 

Ø  The possibility of leaving toxic solvent residue in the extract

Ø  Low yield & low extraction efficiency 

As a result, in recent years, green chemistry was developed for extraction purposes in order to reduce energy and solvent consumption and replace conventional solvents with eco-friendly substitutes.

Modern techniques to extract and isolate bioactive compounds from plant-based materials are gaining more and more popularity in the research and development field. Let us take some examples of extraction methods such as ultrasound-assisted extraction, pressurized liquid extraction, and fluid extraction at presently accessible and environmentally sustainable technologies. 

In simple words, greener technology is an extraction method based on the detection and development of extraction processes, which will reduce energy consumption and enables the use of solvent substitutes.  

In closing

From this whole content journey, it can be right to say supercritical fluid extraction is an isolation technique commonly employed to extract the natural bio-active compound from plants due to the unique properties of supercritical fluids. Supercritical carbon dioxide behaves like a liquid and like a gas simultaneously. Hopefully, the information shared through this post regarding supercritical fluids will help you a lot. Thank you for reaching out!

 

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