Supercritical fluid extraction of dried Surangi flowers (Mammea suriga)

Abstract

In this study, a restrained aromatic plant endemic to the Western Ghats of India, Mammea suriga (Buch. -Ham. ex Roxb.) Kosterm., belonging to the Clusiaceae family was studied to extract potential volatile oils for perfumery applications. Extraction of dried Surangi flowers, harvested once a year during March and April, was performed using supercritical fluid extraction (SFE). The volatile oil was extracted by CO2 at different process parameters of temperature (X1: 40–60 °C), time for extraction (X2: 90–180 min), pressure (X3: 100–200 bar) and flowrate of CO2 (X4: 2–3 ml/min). The optimisation of process parameters was carried out using response surface methodology (RSM). A total of 30 experiments with six central points (as per the RCCD model) were conducted to understand the interaction of independent variables and the impact on the response factors of overall yield (Y1, % (w/w)), wax yield (Y2, % content), absolute yield (Y3, % content) and characteristic component (Y4, % composition). The optimum condition for maximising the overall yield with minimum wax content and maximum content of α-farnesene were found as 35.03°C, 179 min, 142 bar and 3 ml/min flow of CO2. Experimental readings at the desired optimised conditions were in good agreement with the predicted responses giving an overall yield of 4.75 %, with 100.00 % absolute and 0.67 % of α-farnesene in the composition.