Supercritical Fluid Extraction in Plant Analysis

Abstract

Abstract This article presents comprehensive information on applications and developments of supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) technique in plant oils and herbal volatile components analysis. Supercritical carbon dioxide (SC‐CO 2 ) is widely used for extraction and isolation of volatile and essential oils of plants. SFE possesses valuable advantages in the extraction of various analytes, especially nonpolar compounds, from plant matrices. Meanwhile, some modifications such as the usage of modifiers make this technique applicable for the extraction of polar targets as well. SFE in herbal field is used for the extraction of a wide range of analytes including food, agricultural agents, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and pesticides. This article aims to review, from plant oil analysis standpoint, the recent advances in the use of SC‐CO 2 for the extraction and separation of herbal analytes. The use of experimental designs, including screening and optimizing, in the SFE process for the extraction of plant oils is described. In addition, it presents a critical appraisal about the advantages and disadvantages of SFE technique in comparison with traditional extraction methods, that is Soxhlet, hydrodistillation (HD), and head space extraction. The abilities, advantages, shortcomings, and prospects of SFE for isolation and extraction of volatile components and essential oil of plant materials are also discussed.