The oil extracted from the seeds of Oenotheru biennis L. (evening primrose) is a major commercial source of gamma-linolenic acid, a fatty acid having potential therapeutic value in the treatment of several diseases. This fatty acid is prone to oxidation and thermal rearrangement; therefore, the conventional recovery of the oil via mechanical expression and hexane extraction must be carried out, under very mild and controlled conditions. In this study, supercritical fluid extraction with carbon dioxide has been employed as an alternative method to recover evening primrose oil (EPO). Extractions were performed over the pressure range of 20-70 MPa and at temperatures from 40 to 6O”C, with a CO2 mass flow rate of 18 glmin. The experimental data permitted the determination of EPO solubility in supercritical CO, at the tested extraction conditions. Supercritical fluid chromatographic analysis of fractions collected during the extraction showed a subtle shift in the triglyceride composition. Fatty acid methyl ester analysis on similar fractions indicated that the fatty acid content was invariant with respect to extraction time.

Supercritical Carbon Dioxide Extraction of Evening Primrose Oil

FAVATI, Fabio;
1991-01-01

Abstract

The oil extracted from the seeds of Oenotheru biennis L. (evening primrose) is a major commercial source of gamma-linolenic acid, a fatty acid having potential therapeutic value in the treatment of several diseases. This fatty acid is prone to oxidation and thermal rearrangement; therefore, the conventional recovery of the oil via mechanical expression and hexane extraction must be carried out, under very mild and controlled conditions. In this study, supercritical fluid extraction with carbon dioxide has been employed as an alternative method to recover evening primrose oil (EPO). Extractions were performed over the pressure range of 20-70 MPa and at temperatures from 40 to 6O”C, with a CO2 mass flow rate of 18 glmin. The experimental data permitted the determination of EPO solubility in supercritical CO, at the tested extraction conditions. Supercritical fluid chromatographic analysis of fractions collected during the extraction showed a subtle shift in the triglyceride composition. Fatty acid methyl ester analysis on similar fractions indicated that the fatty acid content was invariant with respect to extraction time.
1991
File in questo prodotto:
File Dimensione Formato  
SCCO2EveningPrimrose.pdf

non disponibili

Tipologia: Documento in Post-print
Licenza: DRM non definito
Dimensione 511.7 kB
Formato Adobe PDF
511.7 kB Adobe PDF   Visualizza/Apri   Richiedi una copia

I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.

Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11563/4264
 Attenzione

Attenzione! I dati visualizzati non sono stati sottoposti a validazione da parte dell'ateneo

Citazioni
  • ???jsp.display-item.citation.pmc??? ND
  • Scopus ND
  • ???jsp.display-item.citation.isi??? 78
social impact