Exploring Selectivity of Supercritical-CO2 for Vitamin E Extraction from Canola Seeds

Abstract The objective of the current study was to investigate the selectivity of supercritical-CO 2 for extraction and concentration of Vitamin E components from canola seeds. The selectively extracted Vitamin E in supercritical-CO 2 solvent was related to pressure, temperature, and density through the developed thermodynamic modeling approach. The results suggested that increased pressure and density would enhance the selectivity of supercritical-CO 2 solvent, consequently obtaining highly concentrated Vitamin E. The thermodynamic modeling equations have correlated the selectivity of supercritical-CO 2 solvent for extracting Vitamin E in terms of processing conditions including pressure, temperature, and density of the supercritical-CO 2 solvent fluid. The activity coefficient in thermodynamic modeling was involved with those key parameters that are important in determining selectivity, concentration, and extraction results. The supercritical-CO 2 solvent can be made highly selective by precisely controlling the operating pressure and temperature. This allowed the supercritical-CO 2 solvent to achieve the desired density in the supercritical phase, thereby enhancing the selectivity for targeted components. The thermodynamic mathematical modeling offered valuable insights for enhancing extraction processes in industrial settings. A high regression coefficient via linear structural modeling analysis indicated that the response equation fitted with the experimental data ( R 2 = 0.8737). The experimental results for the separation parameters provide optimal selectivity of supercritical-CO 2 solvent for extracting and concentrating Vitamin E compounds for establishing commercial production.