Is Supercritical Fluid Extraction Suitable For Herbal Extract?

Growing concerns over food and cosmetic quality and safety, increased preference for natural products, and more rigorous regulations on solvent residue levels have all contributed to the use of supercritical fluid technology as the significant alternative for extraction and separation of active ingredients. As a solvent-free process, supercritical fluid technology is a popular solution to the functional food and nutraceutical industry, one of the skyrocketing consumer-driven markets.

For small-scale extraction, the main application over the past decade has been the extraction of cannabinoids from marijuana and hemp. Large-scale industrial users of supercritical carbon dioxide carry out a wide variety of extractions, including hops, decaffeination of green coffee bean, capsicum, Sea Buckthorn Berry Oil, Gromwell Root CO2 Extract, Saw Palmetto Oil, monodisperse powder (pharmaceutical applications) and other commercial uses.

Supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) is an appropriate technique for extraction and separation of a wide range of compounds, especially those with low volatility and/or are prone to thermal degradation, based on the employment of a fluid under supercritical conditions. Carbon dioxide reaches a supercritical state at 31.1°C and 1071 psi. When a molecule is in a supercritical state, it has the characteristics of both liquid and gas. This is beneficial because carbon dioxide can enter small spaces like a gas, but can also dissolve and function like a liquid solvent. The physical characteristics of supercritical carbon dioxide can be easily controlled, which allows it to bind to any molecule the user selects.

As the most widely utilized fluid in extraction technology, supercritical CO2 is not only because of its safety, non-toxicity and cheapness, but also the following significant advantages compared with conventional extraction methods:

1) The operation is close to room temperature (34~39°C), and the entire extraction process is covered by CO2 gas, which effectively prevents the oxidation and degradation of heat-sensitive substances, and can completely retain biological activity;

2) It is the most environmental-friendly extraction method. The whole process does not contain any organic solvents. The extract has no solvent residue. Therefore, this process can prevent the existence of harmful substances to the human body and pollution to the environment;

3) CO2 is an inert gas, no chemical reaction occurs during the extraction process, and it is a non-flammable gas, tasteless, odorless, non-toxic, and safe;

4) Strong extraction ability and high extraction rate; fast extraction time and short production cycle;

5) Supercritical CO2 also has anti-oxidation and sterilization effects, which is beneficial to ensure and improve the quality of products.

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