Efficient extraction of black cumin ( Nigella sativa L.) seed oil containing thymol, using liquefied dimethyl ether (DME)

Abstract

The pharmacological and nutritional benefits of black cumin seed and its oil extract have been extensively studied. The ability of liquefied dimethyl ether (DME) to act as an extraction solvent for the seed oil was examined; and 1H NMR analysis was undertaken to determine the composition of the extracts. The DME was liquefied using a dry ice/acetone mixture in a simple apparatus for extraction. Higher yields of oil were obtained using DME (21%) as compared to conventional solvents (9–14%); with thymol being present in a considerable amount, along with the typical fatty acids. Both ground and whole seeds were used for the extraction, with the former yielding a higher quantity of oil. The extraction process is simple, cost effective, and allows for easy recovery of the DME. Practical applications Extraction of fatty acids from various seeds is often achieved via Cold Pressing, a relatively inefficient method, on a commercial scale. The use of various solvents generally results in improved yields, but often have other drawbacks. The seed oil of Black Cumin has been used for a variety of medicinal and food purposes. In this manuscript, we use the benign green solvent, Dimethyl Ether, to efficiently extract the oil from Black Cumin, a widely utilized agricultural species. Furthermore, a significant proportion of the bioactive constituent, Thymol, was also extracted; and this has not been reported with previous methods.

Surfactant-Free Decellularization of Porcine Aortic Tissue by Subcritical Dimethyl Ether

“…Apart from the above methods, we and other researchers have succeeded in extracting lipids and functional materials from various wet microalgae, sludge, and plants using subcritical dimethyl ether (DME). − Subcritical DME extracted both polar and nonpolar lipids. In the case of microalgae, the quantity of lipids extracted by DME was almost identical to that extracted by a methanol and chloroform mixture used for measuring the total amount of lipids in living tissues.…”

Effective lipid extraction from undewatered microalgae liquid using subcritical dimethyl ether

“…And the DME received significant attention as an alternative solvent due to its nontoxic, environmentally friendly, easier to transport, potentially renewable and relatively cheap [ 35 ]. Even DME is safety for food industrials, since the residual DME present in food products is expected to be significantly below the lowest no-effect limit and in some cases below the detection limit which makes the extracted material potentially safe for consumption [ 36 ].…”

Çörek Otu Posasının Aktif Karbon Üretiminde Değerlendirilmesi

“…Ayrıca çörek otu tohumları baharat ve gıda koruyucu olarak da kullanılmaktadır [16]. Çörek otu tohumlarından yağın ekstraksiyonu için solvent kullanımı, ısıl işlem, hidrodistilasyon, elektriksel alan/mikrodalga, süperkritik karbon dioksit (sCO2) gibi yöntemler mevcut olmakla birlikte, en yaygın olarak kullanılan soğuk pres yöntemidir [17,18,19]…”