Sustainable Valorization of Crickets: Optimized Low-Pressure Supercritical CO2 Extraction and the Oil’s Properties and Stability

As part of the green valorization of crickets, cricket oil was extracted using supercritical CO₂ at temperatures of 40-60 °C, pressures of 175-225 bar, and extraction times of 1-5 h to evaluate oil yield and physicochemical properties. Optimization was performed using Response Surface Methodology with a Box-Behnken Design. Oil yield ranged from of 9.35 to 16.19%, with acid values of 2.45-5.14 mg KOH/g oil, peroxide values of 20.06-70.34 mEq O₂/kg oil, iodine values of 70.59-77.15 g I₂/100 g oil, and saponification values of 178.07-196.76 mg KOH/g oil. Total phenolic content was 19.56-50.73 mg GAE/kg oil, and antioxidant activity measured by DPPH and ABTS assays ranged from 3.29 to 49.97 and from 36.82 to 145.90 mg Eq Trolox/kg oil, respectively. The main fatty acids were palmitic (27.36-28.84%), oleic (25.00-30.23%), linoleic (27.02-34.96%), and stearic acid (6.81-8.17%). The optimal extraction condition (60 °C, 200 bar, 5 h) yielded 15.86% SC-CO₂-extracted cricket oil with favorable quality parameters, antioxidant activity, 1025 mg/100 g of cholesterol, and 14.9 mg/100 g of vitamin E. This oil was then used to study oxidative stability. With the addition of food-grade antioxidants (BHA, BHT, TBHQ, and DL-α-tocopherol at 75 mg/kg), TBHQ was the most effective in reducing oxidation, particularly at 45 and 55 °C. These findings demonstrate that supercritical CO₂ extraction efficiently produces high-quality, solvent-free cricket oil with enhanced oxidative stability. Optimization of extraction temperature, pressure, and time identified suitable conditions that improved the oil's physicochemical characteristics, supporting a sustainable and environmentally friendly extraction approach for cricket-based ingredients.