Sweet Basil (Ocimum basilicum) Extracts Obtained by Supercritical Fluid Extraction (SFE): Global Yields, Chemical Composition, Antioxidant Activity, and Estimation of the Cost of Manufacturing

Abstract

In this work, supercritical technology was used to obtain extracts from Ocimum basilicum (sweet basil) with CO 2 and the cosolvent H 2 O at 1, 10, and 20% (w/w). The raw material was obtained from hydroponic cultivation. The extract's global yield isotherms, chemical compositions, antioxidant activity, and cost of manufacturing were determined. The extraction assays were done for pressures of 10 to 30 MPa at 303 to 323 K. The identification of the compounds present in the extracts was made by GC-MS and ESI-MS. The antioxidant activity of extracts was determined using the coupled reaction of beta-carotene and linolenic acid. At 1% of cosolvent, the largest global yield was obtained at 10 MPa and 303 K (2%, dry basisd.b.); at 10% of cosolvent the largest global yield was obtained at 10 and 15 MPa (11%, d.b.), and at 20% of cosolvent the largest global yield was detected at 30 MPa and 303 K (24%, d.b.). The main components identified in the extracts were eugenol, germacrene-D, epi-alpha-cadinol, malic acid, tartaric acid, ramnose, caffeic acid, quinic acid, kaempferol, caffeoylquinic acid, and kaempferol 3-O-glucoside. Sweet basil extracts exhibited high antioxidant activity compared to beta-carotene. Three types of SFE extracts from sweet basil were produced, for which the estimated cost of manufacturing (class 5 type) varied from US$ 47.96 to US$ 1,049.58 per kilogram of dry extract.

Supercritical Fluid Extraction of Plant Flavors and Fragrances

“…Even so, water was used in some cases as a co-solvent for the extraction of more polar compounds from aromatic plants. The presence of water as pretreatment of plant material or added to CO 2 at supercritical and subcritical state as a co-solvent has shown to influence the qualitative and quantitative composition of the extract [13][14][15].…”

“…Three types of SFE extracts from sweet basil were produced, for which the estimated cost of manufacturing (class 5 type) varied from US$ 48 to US$ 1,050 per kilogram of dry extract [13]. Clove basil (O. gratissimum) volatile oil was extracted using SFE.…”

“…Process optimization to obtain the best ratio between yield and quantity of solvent amount and time of extraction; 5. Scale up optimization This information is used to estimate the cost of manufacturing (COM) [13,164,165]. The design of industrial-scale equipment is usually preceded by laboratory (less than 2 L extractor vessel) and pilot-scale systems (2-100 L extractor vessel).…”

“…Often the pilot-scale system is skipped, and work goes straight from the laboratory to industrial production. Usually, the laboratory scale experiments are performed in grams scale or smaller, often with instruments that have a design which is far from the industrial plan [13,93]. However, with sound lab data and assessment of pilot scale factors the design of industrial sized equipment is much more efficient.…”

EVALUATION OF Α-Glucosidase INHIBITORY POTENTIAL OF METHANOLIC LEAF EXTRACT OF OCIMUM CANUM

“…The mass spectrometer method is a sensitive and selective way to identify polar organic compounds with acidic sites such as phenolic, organic acids and flavonoids [31]. Therefore, this method has been used to identify some of the important polyphenolic compounds present in O. canum methanolic extract.…”