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A sustainable approach to extracting baobab oil : neat supercritical CO2 optimization

Gashi, Fatlinda LU ; Turner, Charlotta LU orcid ; Mustafa, Arwa LU and Nermark, Fiona LU (2025) In RSC Advances 15(27). p.21803-21810
Abstract

Baobab (Adansonia digitata) seeds are a source of valuable lipids with notable nutritional and functional attributes. In response to the rising demand for sustainable, high-quality oils in the cosmetic and nutraceutical sectors, there is an increasing interest in environmentally friendly extraction techniques that maintain lipid bioactivity while reducing the use of toxic solvents. This study represents the first systematic optimization of baobab seed oil extraction utilizing neat supercritical CO2 without co-solvents, employing response surface methodology. Under the optimized conditions of 77 °C and a CO2 density of 0.8 g mL−1, the extracted oil yield was 9.3 ± 1.1 wt%. Although this yield was lower... (More)

Baobab (Adansonia digitata) seeds are a source of valuable lipids with notable nutritional and functional attributes. In response to the rising demand for sustainable, high-quality oils in the cosmetic and nutraceutical sectors, there is an increasing interest in environmentally friendly extraction techniques that maintain lipid bioactivity while reducing the use of toxic solvents. This study represents the first systematic optimization of baobab seed oil extraction utilizing neat supercritical CO2 without co-solvents, employing response surface methodology. Under the optimized conditions of 77 °C and a CO2 density of 0.8 g mL−1, the extracted oil yield was 9.3 ± 1.1 wt%. Although this yield was lower than that achieved through conventional hot pressing (37 wt%), the extracted oil exhibited a fatty acid profile comparable to that of warm-pressed oil, with substantial levels of oleic (37 wt%), linoleic (29 wt%), and palmitic (30 wt%) acids, suggesting higher selectivity for free fatty acids. Furthermore, the scCO2 extracted oil retained a solvent-free purity, indicating its suitability for cosmetic and nutraceutical applications. Kinetic studies indicated that solubility, rather than mass transfer, was the primary limiting factor, with an optimal extraction flow rate of 4 mL min−1 over 25 minutes. These findings underscore the feasibility and selectivity of neat scCO2 extraction as an environmentally friendly alternative to traditional mechanical and solvent-based methods for obtaining high-quality baobab seed oil.

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author
; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
RSC Advances
volume
15
issue
27
pages
8 pages
publisher
Royal Society of Chemistry
external identifiers
  • pmid:40567481
  • scopus:105009355342
ISSN
2046-2069
DOI
10.1039/d5ra02490k
language
English
LU publication?
yes
additional info
Publisher Copyright: © 2025 The Royal Society of Chemistry.
id
5eb09119-64b8-4fd2-8631-b19e745e6cd0
date added to LUP
2025-12-15 14:41:57
date last changed
2025-12-16 03:00:08
@article{5eb09119-64b8-4fd2-8631-b19e745e6cd0,
  abstract     = {{<p>Baobab (Adansonia digitata) seeds are a source of valuable lipids with notable nutritional and functional attributes. In response to the rising demand for sustainable, high-quality oils in the cosmetic and nutraceutical sectors, there is an increasing interest in environmentally friendly extraction techniques that maintain lipid bioactivity while reducing the use of toxic solvents. This study represents the first systematic optimization of baobab seed oil extraction utilizing neat supercritical CO<sub>2</sub> without co-solvents, employing response surface methodology. Under the optimized conditions of 77 °C and a CO<sub>2</sub> density of 0.8 g mL<sup>−1</sup>, the extracted oil yield was 9.3 ± 1.1 wt%. Although this yield was lower than that achieved through conventional hot pressing (37 wt%), the extracted oil exhibited a fatty acid profile comparable to that of warm-pressed oil, with substantial levels of oleic (37 wt%), linoleic (29 wt%), and palmitic (30 wt%) acids, suggesting higher selectivity for free fatty acids. Furthermore, the scCO<sub>2</sub> extracted oil retained a solvent-free purity, indicating its suitability for cosmetic and nutraceutical applications. Kinetic studies indicated that solubility, rather than mass transfer, was the primary limiting factor, with an optimal extraction flow rate of 4 mL min<sup>−1</sup> over 25 minutes. These findings underscore the feasibility and selectivity of neat scCO<sub>2</sub> extraction as an environmentally friendly alternative to traditional mechanical and solvent-based methods for obtaining high-quality baobab seed oil.</p>}},
  author       = {{Gashi, Fatlinda and Turner, Charlotta and Mustafa, Arwa and Nermark, Fiona}},
  issn         = {{2046-2069}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{06}},
  number       = {{27}},
  pages        = {{21803--21810}},
  publisher    = {{Royal Society of Chemistry}},
  series       = {{RSC Advances}},
  title        = {{A sustainable approach to extracting baobab oil : neat supercritical CO<sub>2</sub> optimization}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1039/d5ra02490k}},
  doi          = {{10.1039/d5ra02490k}},
  volume       = {{15}},
  year         = {{2025}},
}