Why Use Supercritical CO₂ in Food Processing
The increasing demand for safe and healthy food products has led to strict governmental regulations on the use of organic solvents in the food processing industry (specifically, regulations concerning residual solvent levels in food).
The need to replace toxic organic solvents with an environmentally benign, non-flammable, and cost-effective alternative has driven the rapid development of supercritical carbon dioxide (CO₂) technology in the food industry. The supercritical CO₂ (SC-CO₂) process is a clean technology, producing extracts that possess longer shelf life and superior blending characteristics due to the co-extraction of antioxidants and lipophilic compounds.
Advantages of Supercritical Fluid Extraction (SFE) over Conventional Solvent Extraction
CO₂ requires only moderate operating temperatures, preserving thermally sensitive compounds.
CO₂ is non-toxic, non-flammable, and is Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS).
CO₂ is highly volatile upon depressurization, leaving no harmful solvent residues in the final product.
CO₂ provides excellent mass transfer due to its low viscosity.
CO₂ is a selective solvent, and its density-dependent solubility enables targeted extraction (e.g., caffeine removal from green coffee beans without extracting flavor precursors).
CO₂ extraction offers low overall energy consumption, and no additional energy is required for solvent separation after extraction.
Major Industrial Applications of Supercritical CO₂ in Food Processing
Extraction of hops for beer production
Decaffeination of coffee and tea
Nicotine/tar removal from tobacco
Removal of free fatty acids from vegetable oils
Fractionation of polyunsaturated fatty acids from animal oils
Refining and deodorization of vegetable oils
Recovery of antioxidants (e.g., Vitamins E and A)
Fractionation of glycerides
Oil extraction from oil-bearing raw materials
Degreasing and purification of lecithin
Cholesterol removal from butter, eggs, fish, and muscle tissues
De-oiling of snack foods
Extraction of spices and oleoresins
Extraction of flavors and fragrances
Extraction of natural food colorants
Extraction of natural food preservatives
Extraction of bioactive herbal compounds
Extraction of natural pesticides from neem
Production of cholesterol-free food products
📞 Contact Information
Tel: +84 908 866 933
Email: secovina@vnn.vn
