A green analytical chemistry approach for lipid extraction: computation methods in the selection of green solvents as alternative to hexane

Abstract

There is a great interest in finding alternatives and green solvents in extraction processes to replace petroleum based solvents. In order to investigate these possibilities, computational methods, as Hansen solubility parameters (HSP) and conductor-like screening model for real solvent (COSMO-RS), were used in this work to predict the solvation power of a series of solvents in salmon fish lipids. Additionally, experimental studies were used to evaluate the performance in lipids extraction using 2-methyltetrahydrofurane, cyclopentyl methyl ether, dimethyl carbonate, isopropanol, ethanol, ethyl acetate, p-cymene and d-limonene compared with hexane. Lipid classes of extracts were obtained by using high performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC), whereas gas chromatography with a flame ionization detector (GC/FID) technique was employed to obtain fatty acid profiles. Some differences between theoretical and experimental results were observed, especially regarding the behavior of p-cymene and d-limonene, which separate from the predicted capability. Results obtained from HPTLC indicated that p-cymene and d-limonene extract triglycerides (TAGs) and diglycerides (DAGs) at levels of 73 and 19%, respectively, whereas the other studied extracts contain between 75 and 76% of TAGs and between 16 and 17% of DAGs. Fatty acid profiles, obtained by using GC-FID, indicated that saturated fatty acids (SFAs) between 19.5 and 19.9% of extracted oil, monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs) in the range between 43.5 and 44.9%, and PUFAs between 31.2 and 34.6% were extracted. p-Cymene and limonene extracts contained lower percentages than the other studied solvents of some PUFAs due probably to the fact that these unsaturated fatty acids are more susceptible to oxidative degradation than MUFAs. Ethyl acetate has been found to be the best alternative solvent to hexane for the extraction of salmon oil lipids. Graphical Abstract ᅟ.

Pistacia lentiscusL. edible oil: green extraction with bio-based solvents, metabolite profiling andin vitroanti-inflammatory activity

“…Furthermore, a higher MAG content was detected in ethyl lactate extract (8.10%) than hexane (2.24%). These solvents have a high boiling point which could affect their efficiency and induce lipid degradation (Cascant et al, 2017).…”

“…Also, they are biodegradable, non-toxic and non-flammable. Indeed, many studies have shown the potential of alternative solvents for lipid extraction instead of hexane (Sicaire et al, 2015;Breil et al, 2016;Cascant et al, 2017).…”

Cyclopentyl Methyl Ether (CPME): A Versatile Eco‐Friendly Solvent for Applications in Biotechnology and Biorefineries

“…Thus, CPME is an excellent alternative for replacingc holoroform in such extraction strategies. In as imilar study, [60] different bio-solvents were assessed for the extraction of components from salmon fish oil, whichi se specially rich in longchain Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCn-3PUFAs). Again, theoretical data from HSPs indicated the effectiveness of CPME in solvating all lipid components of this oil, being more specific than the other solvents evaluated for each lipid class.…”

Green extraction of oil from Carum carvi seeds using bio‐based solvent and supercritical fluid: Evaluation of its antioxidant and anti‐inflammatory activities

“…Moreover, it is biodegradable . Recently, bio‐based solvents including MeTHF, limonene and p ‐cymene have been found to be effective to extract lipids from several plant seeds . Some green methods including ultrasonic assisted extraction have been applied to extract volatiles compounds from carvi .…”