Mini review: Application of supercritical carbon dioxide in extraction of propolis extract

Abstract

Propolis is a resinous substance produced by bees functioned to seal holes, exclude draught, protect against contamination and external intruders inside their hives has been substantially studied and reported to have numerous health properties such as antiseptic, antifungal, antibacterial, antiviral, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant characteristics. Propolis cannot be utilized as raw material, due to its complex mixture of compounds. Hence it must be separated by the extraction process. Extraction targets to removes the inert compounds in the propolis sample and preserves the flavonoids and polyphenolic fraction. The most common technique used in propolis extraction is solvent extraction that involves the use of solvents such as ethanol, water, hexane, ethyl-acetate and chloroform. However, this conventional technique has some drawbacks including strong residual flavour, possible adverse reactions, harmful to the environment, low quality of the extract and long process period requirement. Supercritical carbon dioxide (SC-CO2) is one of the alternative techniques to conventional extraction that was reported to be an excellent method to purify and fractionate bioactive compounds from natural sources. SC-CO2 extraction was first introduced for analytical application because of the demand to reduce organic solvent utilization in a laboratory environment. It has now become a favourite technique in extraction, fractionation, refinement, and deodorization of natural sample matrices in laboratory scale and industrial scale. Carbon dioxide is an ideal supercritical solvent due to its non-toxic, non-polluting, non-flammable, recoverable and environmentally benign properties. Therefore, this mini review aims to discuss the application of supercritical carbon dioxide extraction specifically on propolis sample starting with a brief introduction on propolis, methods of propolis extraction, the principle of SC-CO2 extraction, application of SC-CO2 in propolis extraction, advantages of SC-CO2 extraction and lastly comparison between SC-CO2 and conventional extraction techniques.

Brazilian Red Propolis: Extracts Production, Physicochemical Characterization, and Cytotoxicity Profile for Antitumor Activity

“…However, these conventional extraction processes have some drawbacks, such as a strong residual taste, risk of harmful effects to the environment, poor quality of the obtained extract, and the need for a long extraction time. High pressure has been applied in the extraction, fractionation, refinement, and deodorization of natural sample matrices at the laboratory scale and industrial scale, with supercritical CO 2 and ethanol (usually used as a co-solvent) being the most frequently used solvents [23].…”

Therapeutic potential of propolis in alleviating inflammatory response and promoting wound healing in skin burn

“…Moreover, it has mild extraction conditions, simple removal of the solvent, no residual solvent impurity, and a highly positive environmental impact because no organic solvents are involved (Šuran et al, 2021). The steps of this extraction include supercritical extraction of propolis into a liquid, then filtration of undissolved propolis products, and then turned into a dry propolis powder by evaporation and regeneration of CO 2 through cooling the system and reduction of the crystallization unit's pressure (Idrus et al, 2018; Šuran et al, 2021). Other solvents that can be used for propolis extraction include methanol, 1‐propanol, 2‐propanol, 1‐butanol, 2‐butanol, tert‐butanol, diethyl ether, 1,2‐propylene glycol, dimethylsulfoxide, ethylene glycol, benzyl benzoate, polyethylene glycol, acetone, and glacial acetic acid (Šuran et al, 2021).…”

“…Besides the extraction of propolis using various extraction solvents through the maceration method, there has been a development of modern extraction method, which includes supercritical fluid extraction, ultrasound‐assisted extraction, microwave‐assisted extraction, pressurized liquid extraction, and pressurized hot water extraction developed an alternative to conventional extraction method (Socha et al, 2015). These modern methods may provide several benefits such as less solvent usage, less complicated, and time consuming, and the possibility of more extracted bioactive compounds (Idrus et al, 2018).…”

“…By optimizing extraction methods, it is possible to obtain extracts with higher concentrations of active ingredients and improved biological activity. Various extraction methods that have been investigated include maceration, supercritical extraction, ultrasound extraction, and microwave‐assisted extraction (Idrus et al, 2018; Trusheva et al, 2007).…”

Bee products and their processing: a review

“…A longer maceration duration of 20 or 30 days results in a very minor increase in polyphenol yield in the final liquid extract. 61 Powdery propolis extracts are often made from acceptable initial liquid extracts produced with volatile ES such as water, aqueous EtOH (40-80 percent v/v), EtOH (96 percent v/v), 2-H, acetone, or comparable low-toxic organic solvents. The latter are typically spraydried or fluid bed-processed onto a suitable powdery carrier, such as food-or pharma-grade maize-, wheat-, or potato-based maltodextrin, with or without a small (0.2-2 percent w/w) amount of magnesium stearate, colloidal silicon dioxide, or similar anti-caking agent.…”