SCF Industry Uses
Nutraceuticals
Nutraceuticals
No solvent residue. No health hazards.
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Historically, Chinese and Indian medicines have a rich tradition of using natural products and extracts for promoting healthy living.
Nutraceutical is a term used to describe any product derived from food sources with extra health benefits in addition to the basic nutritional value found in foods. They can be used to promote general well-being, control symptoms, and prevent disease processes.
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Many nutraceuticals are presently isolated from natural products by steam distillation or extraction with organic solvents. Steam distillation is carried out at high temperatures and results in the thermal decomposition of many bioactive compounds. Extraction of nutraceuticals with organic solvents like hexane, methanol, or methylene chloride can leave toxic solvent residues in the nutraceutical extract.
Mild and easy supercritical fluid extractions
Preserve sensitive bioactive compounds.
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Compared to traditional extraction methods, natural supercritical CO2 extraction has many benefits and is Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS).
Supercritical CO2 extraction eliminates exposure of the natural product to oxygen during the process and thus reduces the oxidation of sensitive bioactive compounds.
It also is a low-temperature operation that does not promote the thermal degradation of sensitive nutraceutical compounds. In addition, when the supercritical CO2 extract is depressurized, there are no toxic residues remaining in the nutraceutical extract.
Supercritical CO2 nutraceutical extracts
The possibilities are endless.
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Supercritical CO2 has been used to extract thousands of nutraceuticals from nuts, seeds, grains, vegetables, fish oils, microalgae, herbs, spices, roots, and fruits.
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A few of the supercritical CO2 nutraceutical extracts include polyunsaturated fatty acids, squalene, sterols, tocopherols, carotenoids, EPA. DHA, vitamin A, pigments, oleoresins, antioxidants, phenolic compounds, terpenoids, vitamin E, essential oils, astaxanthin, and many triglyceride compounds.
