Photosensitizing Furocoumarins: Content in Plant Matrices and Kinetics of Supercritical Carbon Dioxide Extraction

Furocoumarins are a group of plant phytoalexins exhibiting various bioactive properties; the most important of which are photosensitization and alteration of P450 cytochrome activity. Supercritical fluid extraction with carbon dioxide has been proposed as a green alternative for an organic solvent extraction of the furocoumarins. Four plant matrices rich in furocoumarins were extracted with CO2 at a temperature of 80 °C and pressure of 40 MPa, as these conditions were characterized by the highest solubility of furocoumarins. The extracts collected were analyzed using the HPLC method and the results obtained were used for the mathematical modeling of the observed phenomena. The total content of the furocoumarins in the matrices was 4.03–26.45 mg g−1 of dry weight. The impact of the process parameters on the solubility was consistent with the Chrastil equation. The broken plus intact cell model proved to be suitable to describe extraction curves obtained. The research proved the possibility of supercritical carbon dioxide utilization for the extraction of the furocoumarins from plant material and provided valuable data for prospective industrial-scale experiments.

Supercritical Extraction Process of Allspice Essential Oil

Allspice essential oil was extracted with supercritical carbon dioxide (SC-CO2) in a static process at three different temperatures (308.15, 313.15, and 318.15 K) and four levels of pressure (100, 200, 300, and 360 bar). The amount of oil extracted was measured at intervals of 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 h; the most extraction yield reached was of 68.47% at 318.15 K, 360 bar, and 6 h of contact time. In this supercritical extraction process, the distribution coefficient (KD), the mean effective diffusion coefficient (Def), the energy of activation (Ea), the thermodynamic properties (ΔG0, ΔH0, and ΔS0), and the apparent solubility (S) expressed as mass fraction (w/w) were evaluated for the first time. At the equilibrium the experimental apparent solubility data were successfully correlated with the modified Chrastil equation.