Solubility of nutraceutical carotenoid compounds in pure supercritical CO2 and modified with triolein or ethanol. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jbiotec.2010.09.339

Abstract

Carotenoids are natural pigments that confer colors to some vegetable and animal organs, these compounds can act as antioxidants and preventives agents of cancer, anti-atherosclerotic, and macular degeneration (van den Berg et al., 2000), considering these beneficial properties there is remarkable interest from food and pharmaceutical industries by isolate these compounds from biological substrates. Extraction of carotenoids with supercritical carbon dioxide (SC-CO2) is an alternative for thermolabiles solutes in comparison with the use of organics solvents. Carotenoids present a low solubility in pure SC-CO2, but the use of modified CO2 with cosolvents, triglycerides and/or alcohols, could increase the solubility of carotenoids (Sovová et al., 2001). The main objective of this work has been to evaluate the solubility of carotenoids as β-carotene, capsanthin and lutein in mixtures of SC-CO2 + triolein and SC-CO2 + ethanol. Experimental solubility data of carotenoids in pure and modified CO2 was correlated using density-based models.