Modeling of the Kinetics of Supercritical Fluid Extraction of Lipids from Microalgae with Emphasis on Extract Desorption.

Microalgae contain valuable biologically active lipophilic substances such as omega-3 fatty acids and carotenoids. In contrast to the recovery of vegetable oils from seeds, where the extraction with supercritical CO2 is used as a mild and selective method, economically viable application of this method on similarly soluble oils from microalgae requires, in most cases, much higher pressure. This paper presents and verifies hypothesis that this difference is caused by high adsorption capacity of microalgae. Under the pressures usually applied in supercritical fluid extraction from plants, microalgae bind a large fraction of the extracted oil, while under extremely high CO2 pressures their adsorption capacity diminishes and the extraction rate depends on oil solubility in supercritical CO2. A mathematical model for the extraction from microalgae was derived and applied to literature data on the extraction kinetics in order to determine model parameters.

Kinetic study for the ethanolysis of fish oil catalyzed by lipozyme(®) 435 in different reaction media.

The ethanolysis of fish oil in various reaction medium (tert-pentanol, n-hexane and solvent free system) catalyzed by the immobilized commercial lipase Lipozyme(®) 435 (Candida Antarctica) at atmospheric pressure has been studied in this work. The effect of some kinetic parameters, such as the amount of lipase, temperature and the initial reactant molar ratio ethanol:oil on monoacyglyceride and ethyl ester yield has been analyzed. Experimental data were successfully correlated by a simple kinetic model based on the elementary reactions proposed in this work. At high initial reactant molar ratio the three elementary steps can be considered as irreversible. However the reaction rate constants ratio for the deacylation of monoglyceride to glycerol decreased by decreasing the molar ratio ethanol:oil. The reaction rates are slower in n-hexane as reaction medium compared to tert-pentanol and a solvent-free system, at the experimental conditions essayed in this work. In this last case, ethanol acts as solvent for reaction and as reactant.

Temperature-dependent kinetics of grape seed phenolic compounds extraction: experiment and model.

The kinetics of a batch solid-liquid extraction of total phenolic compounds (PC) from milled grape seed (Vitis vinifera L. cv. "Frankovka") using 50% ethanol at different extraction temperatures (25-80°C) was studied. The maximum yield of PC was 0.13 kg(GAE)/kg(db) after 200 min of extraction in agitated vessel at 80°C. A new model based on the assumptions of a first order kinetics mechanism for the solid-liquid extraction and a linear equilibrium at the solid-liquid interface was developed. The model involves the concept of broken and intact cells in order to describe two successive extraction periods: a very fast surface washing process followed by slow diffusion of phenolic compounds from grape seeds to the solvent. The proposed model is suited to fit experimental data and to simulate the extraction of phenolic compounds, which was confirmed by the correlation coefficient (r≥0.965), the root mean square error (RMSE≤0.003 kg(GAE)/kg(db)) and the mean relative deviation modulus (E≤2.149%). The temperature influenced both equilibrium partition coefficients of phenolic compounds and transport properties, which is manifested by a relatively high value of activation energy (23-24) kJ/mol and by values of effective diffusivity in seed particles.

Extraction of volatile oil from aromatic plants with supercritical carbon dioxide: experiments and modeling.

An overview of the studies carried out in our laboratories on supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) of volatile oils from seven aromatic plants: pennyroyal (Mentha pulegium L.), fennel seeds (Foeniculum vulgare Mill.), coriander (Coriandrum sativum L.), savory (Satureja fruticosa Béguinot), winter savory (Satureja montana L.), cotton lavender (Santolina chamaecyparisus) and thyme (Thymus vulgaris), is presented. A flow apparatus with a 1 L extractor and two 0.27 L separators was built to perform studies at temperatures ranging from 298 to 353 K and pressures up to 30.0 MPa. The best compromise between yield and composition compared with hydrodistillation (HD) was achieved selecting the optimum experimental conditions of extraction and fractionation. The major differences between HD and SFE oils is the presence of a small percentage of cuticular waxes and the relative amount of thymoquinone, an oxygenated monoterpene with important biological properties, which is present in the oils from thyme and winter savory. On the other hand, the modeling of our data on supercritical extraction of volatile oil from pennyroyal is discussed using Sovová's models. These models have been applied successfully to the other volatile oil extractions. Furthermore, other experimental studies involving supercritical CO(2) carried out in our laboratories are also mentioned.

ß-Sitosterol: supercritical carbon dioxide extraction from sea buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides L.) seeds.

Supercritical fluid extraction represents an efficient and environmentally friendly technique for isolation of phytosterols from different plant sources. Sea buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides L.) seeds were extracted with supercritical carbon dioxide at pressures ranging from 15-60 MPa and temperatures of 40-80 degrees C. Oil and ß-sitosterol yields were measured in the extraction course and compared with Soxhlet extraction with hexane. The average yield of ß-sitosterol was 0.31 mg/g of seeds. The maximum concentration of ß-sitosterol in the extract, 0.5% w/w, was achieved at 15 MPa, 40 degrees C, and a carbon dioxide consumption of 50 g/g of seeds. The extraction rate was maximal at 60 MPa and 40 degrees C. Both ß-sitosterol yield and its concentration in the extract obtained with hexane were lower than with carbon dioxide.

Comparison of various types of stationary phases in non-aqueous reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry of glycerolipids in blackcurrant oil and its enzymatic hydrolysis mixture.

The selection of column packing during the development of high-performance liquid chromatography method is a crucial step to achieve sufficient chromatographic resolution of analyzed species in complex mixtures. Various stationary phases are tested in this paper for the analysis of complex mixture of triacylglycerols (TGs) in blackcurrant oil using non-aqueous reversed-phase (NARP) system with acetonitrile-2-propanol mobile phase. Conventional C(18) column in the total length of 45 cm is used for the separation of TGs according to their equivalent carbon number, the number and positions of double bonds and acyl chain lengths. The separation of TGs and their more polar hydrolysis products after the partial enzymatic hydrolysis of blackcurrant oil in one chromatographic run is achieved using conventional C(18) column. Retention times of TGs are reduced almost 10 times without the loss of the chromatographic resolution using ultra high-performance liquid chromatography with 1.7 microm C(18) particles. The separation in NARP system on C(30) column shows an unusual phenomenon, because the retention order of TGs changes depending on the column temperature, which is reported for the first time. The commercial monolithic column modified with C(18) is used for the fast analysis of TGs to increase the sample throughput but at cost of low resolution.

Supercritical fluid extraction of cynaropicrin and 20-hydroxyecdysone from Leuzea carthamoides DC.

Leuzea carthamoides is an adaptogenic plant containing biologically active compounds as ecdysteroids and guaianolide-type sesquiterpene lactones, conventionally extracted from the plant with ethanol. It may be a potential source of the mentioned natural compounds. Ethanol-modified near-critical CO(2) was used as selective solvent with the aim to increase the level of 20-hydroxyecdysone in the extract from L. carthamoides roots and to remove selectively cynaropicrin, a sesquiterpene lactone of bitter taste, from the leaves. The extraction conditions were varied (pressure 20-28 MPa, temperature 40-60 degrees C, ethanol concentration in the solvent 0-7.1%) and the extraction yield and extract composition were compared with the results of ethanolic extraction. The supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) from finely powdered plant was controlled by phase equilibrium. Cynaropicrin was quantitatively removed from the leaves where 89% of 20-hydroxyecdysone was retained. The extraction yield of 20-hydroxyecdysone from roots with ethanol-modified CO(2 )was lower by 30% than with ethanol but its concentration in the extract was higher by 67%.

High-performance liquid chromatography with nuclear magnetic resonance detection--A method for quantification of alpha- and gamma-linolenic acids in their mixtures with free fatty acids.

While many naturally occurring mixtures of free fatty acids are conveniently analyzed by hyphenated technique of LC-NMR, a complete separation of alpha- and gamma-linolenic acids for their quantitative determination appears impossible at least by the methods of reversed phase HPLC. However, they can be differentiated and quantified from 1H NMR spectra measured in the course of isocratic acetonitrile-chloroform (90:10, with C8 and C18 columns in series) LC-NMR analysis without the need for any derivatization.

HPLC in reversed phase mode: Tool for investigation of kinetics of blackcurrant seed oil lipolysis in supercritical carbon dioxide.

Blackcurrant (Ribes nigrum) seed oil is rich in alpha- and gamma-linolenic acids, the latter in particular being of potential use in medicine. The enzymatic hydrolysis of the oil was carried out in supercritical carbon dioxide using lipase Lipozyme as catalyst and changes in the composition of acylglycerols were recorded. Mono-, di-, and triacylglycerols and free fatty acids were separated by non-aqueous high-performance liquid chromatography in reversed phase mode and detected by UV diode array and 1H NMR detectors. Lipozyme was found to exert low specificity to individual fatty acids in the hydrolysed oil.

Dibenzo[a,c]cyclooctadiene lignans of the genus Schisandra: importance, isolation and determination.

The drug Wuweizi (dried fruits of Schisandra chinensis or S. sphenantherd) is one of important medicinal means used in the Oriental medicine. The lignans of dibenzo[a,c]cyklooctadiene type are major constituents, a volatile oil with mono- and ses-quiterpens, an oil, organic acids and small amounts of additional compounds are also present. The content of major lignans (schizandrin, deoxyschizandrin, gomisin A, gomisin N, gamma-schizandrin, wuweizisu C) in commercially available drugs ranges usually between 3 and 5%. The present paper biefly comments the isolation and biological activity of the lignans and is especially concerned with analytical methods (TLC and HPLC) for the determination of the drug fingerprint and methods for the determination of constituents in drugs, mixtures and biological materials. HPLC methods using RP-silica bonded phases and diluted methanol, acetonitrile (or a mixture of both), are most important for these purposes. Electromigration methods are less suitable and the importance of hyphenation procedures is practically negligible.

Liquid chromatographic analysis of supercritical carbon dioxide extracts of Schizandra chinensis.

Six major lignans (schizandrin, gomisin A, deoxyschizandrin, y-schizandrin, gomisin N, wuweizisu C) in the caulomas and leaves of Schizandra chinensis (Turcz.) Baill., and cinnamic acid in the leaves of the plant, were quantitatively analysed by high-performance liquid chromatography in reversed-phase mode with UV detection. Resolution of the determined lignans was evaluated for two multistep gradients applied. Samples for HPLC analysis were prepared by extraction with supercritical carbon dioxide at pressures of 20-27 MPa and temperatures of 40-60 degrees C. Kinetics of the extraction of individual components was measured and simulated with a model.