A sustainable approach to extracting baobab oil: neat supercritical CO₂ optimization

Baobab (Adansonia digitata) seeds are a source of valuable lipids with notable nutritional and functional attributes. In response to the rising demand for sustainable, high-quality oils in the cosmetic and nutraceutical sectors, there is an increasing interest in environmentally friendly extraction techniques that maintain lipid bioactivity while reducing the use of toxic solvents. This study represents the first systematic optimization of baobab seed oil extraction utilizing neat supercritical CO₂ without co-solvents, employing response surface methodology. Under the optimized conditions of 77 °C and a CO₂ density of 0.8 g mL^-1, the extracted oil yield was 9.3 ± 1.1 wt%. Although this yield was lower than that achieved through conventional hot pressing (37 wt%), the extracted oil exhibited a fatty acid profile comparable to that of warm-pressed oil, with substantial levels of oleic (37 wt%), linoleic (29 wt%), and palmitic (30 wt%) acids, suggesting higher selectivity for free fatty acids. Furthermore, the scCO₂ extracted oil retained a solvent-free purity, indicating its suitability for cosmetic and nutraceutical applications. Kinetic studies indicated that solubility, rather than mass transfer, was the primary limiting factor, with an optimal extraction flow rate of 4 mL min^-1 over 25 minutes. These findings underscore the feasibility and selectivity of neat scCO₂ extraction as an environmentally friendly alternative to traditional mechanical and solvent-based methods for obtaining high-quality baobab seed oil.