Supercritical Fluid Extraction as a Potential Extraction Technique for the Food Industry

Abstract

Supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) is a non-conventional extraction technique that can be used in the food industry because it can recover both polar and non-polar compounds. This technique is carried out above the critical point of the extraction solvent, allowing for the control and manipulation of different properties, such as diffusivity, viscosity, and density. This is possible due to the fluid’s changes in pressure and temperature that cause variations in selectivity and power. This eco-friendly extraction technique has several advantages, including high selectivity due to changes in pressure and temperature, as well as changes in the solvent’s polarity by adding co-solvents. SFE has already been used in the food industry due to the benefits of this technique and its suitability for both polar and non-polar compound extraction. The goal of this work is to compile the most recent data on SFE applications in the food industry, thereby providing insight into SFE feasibility in a large-scale process.

Keywords

• green extraction technique
• supercritical fluid
• critical point
• bioactive compounds
• food application