Supercritical Fluid Extraction of Bioactive Compounds from Plant Materials

There has been growing interest in the application of supercritical solvents over the last several years, many of the applications industrial in nature. The purpose of plant material extraction is to obtain large amounts of extract rich in the desired active compounds in a time-sensitive and cost-effective manner. The productivity and profitability of a supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) process largely depends on the selection of process parameters, which are elaborated upon in this paper. Carbon dioxide (CO2) is the most desirable solvent for the supercritical extraction of natural products. Its near-ambient critical temperature makes it suitable for the extraction of thermolabile components without degradation. A new approach has been adopted for SFE in which the solubility of nonpolar supercritical CO2 can be enhanced by the addition of small amounts of cosolvent.