<p class="MsoNormal"> <span lang="EN-US">Bioactive </span><span lang="EN-US">s</span><span lang="EN-US">ubstances found in plants are very interesting because of their importance in medicine and foods. Species of <i>Pfaffia </i>genre is common in Brazil, the largest center of collection of this species. Statistics report that 11</span><span lang="EN-US">,</span><span lang="EN-US">000 tons of roots and other plants were exported in 2011. Due to the large market demand, a growth of 10% per year is estimated. One of the promising areas of study involves the supercritical fluid extraction of active compounds present in plants. The current goal is to reduce dependence on foreign markets. The extraction of bioactive compound known as Beta-Ecdysone has been studied. Statistics show that profits of exports coming from the raw material is almost ten times smaller than the extract itself. Considering this fact, we emphasize the importance of an alternative method of industrial extraction in Brazil using supercritical technology, which proves to be environmentally safe.</span> </p>

Tese de Doutorado apresentada à Faculdade de Engenharia Química como parte dos requisitos exigidos para a obtenção do título de Doutor (a) em Engenharia Química.

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