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ARS Home » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #92815
Title: CONCENTRATION OF PHYTOSTEROLS BY SFE

Author
item Snyder, Janet
item King, Jerry
item Taylor, Scott
item Neese, Angela

Submitted to: Supercritical Fluids International Symposium
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 7/12/1998
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Many seed oils contain high-value components of interest to the pharmaceutical, food, cosmetic, and nutraceutical industries. These must be obtained from the seed matrix or extracted seed oil by fractionation and enrichment separation. In this study, supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) in the fractionation mode has been used to enrich the phytosterol content in extracts obtained from four different seed oils. Utilizing an analytical supercritical fluid extractor, neat supercritical fluid carbon dioxide (SC-CO2) was used at 5,000 psi and 80 deg C, in the presence of an amino bonded silica-based sorbent, to deoil the original seed matrix of 95% of its original triglyceride content. Then, using an SC-CO2 and methanol (5 vol%) mixture, the phytosterol fraction is selectively removed from the amino bonded silica sorbent, yielding a fraction enriched in phytosterol content and diminished in glyceride content. Analysis of the resultant extracts by capillary supercritical fluid chromatography (SFC) shows that the four seed oils (corn, canola, cottonseed, soybean) had their phytosterol content enriched from 0.2-0.7 wt.% to 18-33 wt.%. Capillary SFC also revealed the presence of a lower quantity of diglycerides and triglycerides. The resultant method should prove facile for the analysis of sterols in seed oils, as well as aid in the design of a scaled up supercritical fluid extraction/fractionation process for recovery of sterol fractions for industry.