TITLE:
Extraction of Carotenoids and Fatty Acids from Microalgae Using Supercritical Technology
AUTHORS:
Lourdes Casas Cardoso, Casimiro Mantell Serrano, Miguel Rodríguez Rodríguez, Enrique J. Martínez de la Ossa, Luis M. Lubián
KEYWORDS:
Carotenoids; Fatty Acids; Synechococcus sp.; Supercritical Technology; Ultrasound-Assisted Extraction
JOURNAL NAME:
American Journal of Analytical Chemistry,
Vol.3 No.12A,
December
31,
2012
ABSTRACT:
The work described here
is based on a comparative study of carotenoids and fatty acids extracted from Synechococcus sp. with (1) pure
supercritical CO2, (2) CO2 with 5% (v/v) ethanol as
cosolvent and (3) ultrasound-assisted extraction using N, N-dimethylformamide (DMF). The effects of
extraction conditions on supercritical CO2 extraction with and
within cosolvent were analyzed at different temperatures (40℃, 50℃ and 60℃)
and pressures (200, 300 and 400 bars). SFE with CO2 proved to be the
most selective method for the extraction of β-carotene,
but under these conditions the contents of zeaxanthin and fatty acids were only
comparable to or lower than those obtained with techniques that use SFE
cosolvent. The SFE technique with CO2 and ethanol simultaneously
extracted β-carotene and zeaxanthin
and not only increased the concentrations of fatty acids obtained, but also
helped to remove fatty acids (palmitoleic and linolenic acid) that were not obtained
with pure CO2. Comparison of the supercritical technology with the ultrasound-assisted
extraction (UAE) shows that the former technique is the most appropriate due to
the fact that ethanol is generally regarded as a safe solvent in comparison to
DMF.