Extraction of oil from wheat germ by supercritical CO2

This study examined the supercritical fluid extraction of wheat germ oil. The effects of pressure (200-300 bar at 40 degrees C) and extraction time on the oil quality/quantity were studied. A comparison was also made between the relative qualities of material obtained by SFE and by organic solvent extraction. The extracts were analyzed for alpha-tocopherol and polyunsaturated fatty acid content. The maximum wheat germ oil yield at about 9% was obtained with supercritical carbon dioxide extraction at 300 bar, while fatty acid and alpha-tocopherol composition of the extracts was not remarkable affected by either pressure or the extraction method.