Extraction of ginger flavor with liquid or supercritical carbon dioxide

Abstract

Ginger flavor, containing both aromatic and pungent components, was extracted by high pressure carbon dioxide from the rhizome of dried ginger ( Zingiber officinale Roscoe). However, the effects of extraction conditions on yield and quality of the ginger flavor have not yet been elucidated. In this study, the extract yield and the composition of the extract were studied using a semi-batch type apparatus in the pressure and temperature ranges of 7.9–29.5 MPa and 288–353 K, respectively. It was found that the [6]-gingerol content of the extract could be controlled by manipulating the extraction conditions. Furthermore, a two-stage separation was performed in order to concentrate [6]-gingerol to produce a highly pungent ginger flavor. In the two stage separation, the first separation was carried out under various pressures of 7.9–10.9 MPa at a constant temperature of 333 K, and the second separation conditions are kept the same as those for the one stage separation. The results suggested that [6]-gingerol could be easily concentrated by the two stage separation proposed in this study.