Definition
Nutraceuticals is a broad term widely used to describe any product derived from food sources that provides health benefits beyond the basic nutritional value found in foods. They can be considered non-specific biological therapies used to promote general well-being, control symptoms of the body, and prevent malignant or degenerative processes.
The term nutraceutical refers to any substance that is a food or part of a food, which offers medical or health benefits, including the prevention and treatment of disease. Nutraceuticals may include dietary supplements, functional foods, medical foods, and farmaceuticals (pharmaceuticals derived from agricultural sources).
Nutraceuticals and Supercritical CO₂ Extraction
Many nutraceuticals are currently isolated from natural products through steam distillation or organic solvent extraction. However:
• Steam distillation requires high temperatures, often leading to thermal degradation of heat-sensitive bioactive compounds.
• Organic solvent extraction (e.g., using hexane, methanol, or methylene chloride) can leave behind toxic solvent residues in the final nutraceutical extract.
Compared to these conventional methods, supercritical CO₂ (SC-CO₂) extraction offers numerous advantages and is Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS).
Supercritical CO₂ extraction:
• Eliminates product exposure to oxygen, reducing the oxidation of sensitive bioactive compounds.
• Operates at low temperatures, minimizing the thermal decomposition of nutritionally valuable constituents.
• Leaves no toxic solvent residues, as CO₂ simply evaporates when depressurized.
Applications of Supercritical CO₂ in Nutraceutical Extraction
Supercritical CO₂ has been successfully used to extract thousands of nutraceutical compounds from:
• Nuts and seeds
• Cereals and grains
• Vegetables
• Fish oils and marine algae
• Herbs, spices, roots, and fruits
Representative nutraceutical compounds extracted using SC-CO₂ include:
• Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs)
• Squalene
• Sterols
• Tocopherols (Vitamin E)
• Carotenoids (β-carotene, lycopene, astaxanthin)
• Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA)
• Retinoids (Vitamin A)
• Pigments and oleoresins
• Antioxidants and phenolic compounds
• Terpenoids and triglycerides
• Essential oils
Industrial Development and Commitment
Applied Separations is committed to advancing supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) technology and has collaborated with companies worldwide to integrate supercritical CO₂ (SCF) processes into their production systems.
With a leading R&D team, in-house engineering expertise, and an innovative and environmentally conscious approach, Applied Separations continuously works to develop and expand the applications of this green extraction technology across diverse industries — including those not traditionally associated with supercritical processing.
