Recovery of Oil, Erucic Acid, and Phenolic Compounds from Rapeseed and Rocket Seeds

Abstract

AbstractErucic acid‐enriched oil, sought for industrial purposes, from rapeseed (agronomic plant) and rocket seeds (non‐agronomic plant) was extracted by three different processes: supercritical CO2, mechanical expression, and hexane extraction. Oil extraction yields were determined and the extracted oils were characterized for their fatty acid and phenolic compound compositions. Higher oil yields were achieved using hexane compared to mechanical expression and supercritical CO2 extractions. Fatty acid analysis indicated a higher content of erucic acid in rapeseed oil than in rocket oil. In addition, supercritical CO2 extraction allowed better recovery of phenolic compounds with high antioxidant activities. The most prominent identified polyphenols were vanillin, sinapic acid, syringic acid, and apigenin.