Recent Advances in Supercritical Fluid Extraction of Natural Bioactive Compounds from Natural Plant Materials

Abstract

In this review, recent advances in greener technology for extracting natural bioactive components from plant origin sources are discussed. Bioactive compounds of plant origin have been defined as natural chemical compounds present in small amounts in plants. Researchers have shown interest in extracting bioactive compounds because of their human health benefits and characteristics of being eco-friendly and generally recognized as safe. Various new extraction methods and conventional extraction methods have been developed, however, until now, no unique approach has been presented as a benchmark for extracting natural bioactive compounds from plants. The selectivity and productivity of traditional and modern extraction techniques generally depend on selecting the critical input parameters, knowing the nature of plant-based samples, the structure of bioactive compounds, and good scientific skills. This work aims to discuss the recent advances in supercritical fluid extraction techniques, especially supercritical carbon dioxide, along with the fundamental principles for extracting bioactive compounds from natural plant materials such as herbs, spices, aromatic and medicinal plants.

Astaxanthin for the Food Industry

“…Apart from that, CO 2 has GRAS status, and it is not expensive [ 89 , 90 ]. Currently, SC-CO 2 is the most modern and effective method of obtaining essential oils, polyunsaturated oils, phytosterols, carotenoids, flavonoids and anthocyanins [ 95 ]. Sánchez-Camargo et al [ 90 ] extracted astaxanthin from freeze-dried red spotted shrimp ( Farfantepenaeus paulensis ) waste (including the head, tail and shell) using SC-CO 2 and evaluated the effects of the extraction conditions of pressure (200–400 bar) and temperature (40–60 °C) on the total extraction yield, astaxanthin extraction yield and astaxanthin concentration in the extract.…”

Advances in Supercritical Carbon Dioxide Extraction of Bioactive Substances from Different Parts of Ginkgo biloba L.

“…Its density is close to that of liquid. Viscosity is close to that of gas, and the diffusion coefficient is 10~100 times of liquid [ 44 ]. Therefore, supercritical fluid could be used as an excellent solvent for the extraction and separation of substances.…”

“…As a supercritical fluid, CO 2 has a critical temperature of 31.1 °C and a critical pressure of 7.38 MPa. Its operating temperature and pressure are relatively easy to achieve [ 44 ]. CO 2 is one of the most frequently used solvents in supercritical fluid extraction (SFE), with the advantages of reaching the supercritical fluid state readily, safety, non-toxicity, non-flammability, and high elimination rate [ 46 ].…”

A Pilot-Scale Supercritical Carbon Dioxide Extraction to Valorize Colombian Mango Seed Kernel

“…Likewise, the use of supercritical fluids as alternative solvents for oil extraction has been attracting widespread interest due to their particular properties (e.g., liquid-like solvent power, negligible surface tension, and gas-like transport properties) and changes in environmental regulations, which foster the utilization of green solvents [ 13 ]. In this field, carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) has been specially employed [ 14 , 15 ] since it is essentially non-toxic, non-flammable, inexpensive at the industrial level, can be recycled, has easily accessible supercritical conditions, and is dissipated from extracts at atmospheric pressure, avoiding the necessity of further expensive and harmful refining treatments [ 16 ]. Moreover, extractions with supercritical CO 2 (scCO 2 ) have been successfully recognized in the obtention of valuable extracts from agro-industrial by-products [ 17 ].…”

“…These target compounds have usually been extracted using organic solvents; however, this technique is not selective and has become less attractive as it generates products with traces of the residual solvent [ 26 ]. The aforementioned, along with the growing awareness of the environmental and health problems arising from the use of organic solvents has led to the implementation of tougher regulations; hence, the use of scCO 2 extractions has become a commercial and environmentally friendly alternative [ 14 ].…”