Supercritical Fluid Extraction System Research Articles

Formulation and characterization of micro-emulsions of peppermint and coriander oils extracted by using a supercritical fluid system

ABSTRACT The present study was designed to formulate and characterize the micro-emulsions of peppermint and coriander oil that extracted by using supercritical fluid extraction system. Moreover, Guar gum and maltodextrin were used as coating materials while preparing encapsulates of peppermint and coriander through freeze-drying. The moisture contents of mint leaves and coriander were 81.28 ± 7.12 and 84.62 ± 6.46% respectively whereas the recorded protein content in mint and coriander leaves were 1.456 ± 0.13 and 5.06 ± 0.03% respectively. The crude fat was high in mint leaves as compared to coriander. However, the ash content was 2.98 ± 0.278 in mint and 2.8 ± 0.12 in coriander leaves. The total phenolic contents (TPC) and antioxidant activity coriander essential oil was high as compared to peppermint oil. The results showed the better antioxidant activity of coriander than peppermint. Encapsulation efficiency of powder showed significant results of wall material. T3 (maltodextrin and coriander oil) exhibited better binding capability of bioactive components as compared to guar gum and mint. T3 was coriander and maltodextrin better ability to inhibit the oxidation process and had good DPPH assays as compared to other treatments. This study showed that the T3 (maltodextrin and coriander oil) exhibited better binding capability of bioactive components as compared to guar gum and mint. T3 was (coriander and maltodextrin) better ability to inhibit the oxidation process and had good DPPH assays to other treatments.

Techno-economic evaluation of supercritical fluid extraction of flaxseed oil

Green and promising technologies are current interests of the developing societies. Advantages of supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) overcome traditional extraction processes due to the quality aspects and environmental benefits. However, the relative high cost of the system makes these technologies commercial applicability in question for some products species. In our study, we intended to investigate the SFE of flaxseed oil in pilot scale system. Techno-economic analyses of SFE of flaxseed oil was evaluated using computational simulation software. The results demonstrated that high scales of SFE systems are feasible due to the high productivity. Although high investment is necessary for high-capacity extraction systems, low Cost of Manufacturing (COM) and short payback time can be accomplished.

Аспекты пищевой безопасности водного и сверхкритического CO2-экстрактов гриба Inonotus obliguus

Introduction. Plant materials are susceptible to microbial contamination at all stages of the technological process and storage. This problem becomes highly relevant when extracting biologically active compounds from the Inonotus obliquus chaga mushroom. If used in food systems, contaminated extracts may cause their subsequent microbial contamination, as well as deterioration of quality and safety, which inevitably leads to economic losses and health risks. Inonotus obliquus is a popular component of various functional foods; therefore, the microbiological purity of its extracts requires a thorough analysis. In this regard, toxicity in a living test object is another important aspect of the safety studies of extracts and biologically active compounds. Before introducing a new food additive or component into the food system, it has to be tested for toxic properties.
 Study objects and methods. The research featured aqueous and supercritical CO2-extracts of the Inonotus obliguus chaga mushroom. The aqueous extract was obtained according to the method specified in the State Pharmacopoeia of the USSR. The supercritical CO2 extraction was obtained using a Thar SFE-500F-2-FMC50 supercritical fluid extraction system. Microbiological indicators were determined by standard operating methods. The relative biological value and possible toxic properties were measured by biotesting on Tetrahymena pyriformis.
 Results and its discussion. During the entire tested storage period, the microbial contamination of the extracts remained at a low level, while the contaminants in the supercritical extract showed signs of microbial deactivation by carbon dioxide. The experiment on the ciliates demonstrated no inhibition of motility and growth, the shape of the cells was oval, even, and the cell walls remained unaffected, which means that the extracts produced no toxic effect.
 Conclusion. The extracts of the Inonotus obliguus mushroom proved to be biologically valuable and toxicologically safe. The test on Tetrahymena pyriformis showed stable and traceable microbiological indicators. Therefore, aqueous and supercritical CO2 extracts of Inonotus obliguus can be used in food industry.

Supercritical CO2 treatment reduces the antigenicity of buttermilk β-lactoglobulin and its inflammatory response in Caco-2 cells

β-Lactoglobulin (β-LG) is believed to be a common allergen in bovine milk. Buttermilk (BM) powder has abundant contents of milk fat globule membrane and phospholipid, both of which have been demonstrated to have positive effects on brain and cognitive development during early infancy. This study focused on modifying β-LG in BM via supercritical CO2 (ScCO2) treatment to modify its reactivity to antibodies and thus reduce its antigenicity. Buttermilk powder was treated in a supercritical fluid extraction system with food-grade CO2 at 100, 150, 200, 250, 350, and 400 bar at 2 temperatures, 50 and 75°C. All analyses were completed in a 10% BM suspension (wt/vol). The BM proteins were examined using sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS)-PAGE, Western blot, ELISA, and periodic acid staining methods. Semi-purified β-LG was used to evaluate the cytotoxicity, viability, and inflammatory response in the Caco-2 cell line by means of the lactate dehydrogenase assay, MTT [3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium] assay, and IL-8 production, respectively. The SDS-PAGE showed that the signal intensity of β-LG bands was reduced by up to 50% after being processed at 250 bar and 75°C for 30 min. Lighter and more diffuse signals were found by Western blot, indicating modification of the protein structure. The ELISA demonstrated that ScCO2 treatment could significantly change β-LG antigenicity in BM. Sugar moieties in bands corresponding to β-LG were revealed by periodic acid staining, indicating glycosylation only in samples treated with ScCO2. Caco-2 cells treated with whey proteins had high viability, 24.9% lower inflammation, and no evidence of cytotoxicity compared with untreated cultures. These results showed that reduced antigenicity of β-LG was caused by lactosylation, which has been reported as a possible pathway to reduce the allergenicity in foods. The denaturation of β-LG by supercritical fluid processing is a promising way to address milk allergy, which remains a problem requiring more attention and further research.

Direct extraction of uranium from yellow cake and ore matrices using supercritical carbon dioxide

Abstract The study demonstrates the accomplishment of single step, direct supercritical fluid carbon dioxide (SC CO2) dissolution and extraction of uranium from crude matrices viz. yellow cakes (>90%) and rock phosphate ores (70%) employing adducts of trialkyl phosphates and nitric acid, thus avoiding free acid usage and eliminating number of process steps. Rock phosphate ore was made amenable for supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) system by unique strategy of pyrohydrolytic removal of fluorine. Pressure and temperature conditions, which were found to influence uranium extraction efficiency, were optimized at 150 atm. and 323 K. Two milliliter of adduct amount was found to be adequate. Adducts of branched alkyl phosphate, tri-isoamyl phosphate and tri-ethyl hexyl phosphate (TEHP), yield better purity in comparision to straight chain tri-butyl phosphate (TBP).

Compound Identification and In Vitro Cytotoxicity of the Supercritical Carbon Dioxide Extract of Papaya Freeze-Dried Leaf Juice

Carica papaya leaves are used as a remedy for the management of cancer. Freeze-dried C. papaya leaf juice was extracted using a supercritical fluid extraction system. Compound identification was carried out using analytical techniques including liquid chromatography coupled to high-resolution quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (LC–QToF-MS) and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS). The cytotoxic activities of the scCO2 extract and its chemical constituents were determined using the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay on squamous cell carcinoma (SCC25) and human keratinocyte (HaCaT) cell lines. The chemical constituents were quantified by QToF-MS. The supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO2) extract of papaya freeze-dried leaf juice showed cytotoxic activity against SCC25. Three phytosterols, namely, β-sitosterol, campesterol, and stigmasterol, together with α-tocopherol, were confirmed to be present in the scCO2 extract. Quantitative analysis showed that β-sitosterol was the major phytosterol present followed by α-tocopherol, campesterol, and stigmasterol. β-Sitosterol and campesterol were active against SCC25 (half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) ≈ 1 µM), while stigmasterol was less active (~33 µM) but was biologically more selective against SCC25. Interestingly, an equimolar mixture of phytosterols was not more effective (no synergistic effect was observed) but was more selective than the individual compounds. The compounds identified are likely accountable for at least part of the cytotoxicity and selectivity effects of C. papaya.

Molecular dynamics study of mechanism of density fluctuation in supercritical fluid

With the rapid development of supercritical fluid, it has been widely applied to various industrial technology fields such as supercritical fluid extraction, thermal and nuclear power generation systems, air conditioning and refrigeration, and solar power generation because of its unique physical and transport properties. At present, some studies have found that the speed of sound sharply changes near the supercritical point and the supercritical region can be divided into “liquid-like” and “gas-like” regions, and the concept of “pseudo-boiling” was proposed. However, the structural characteristics of supercritical fluids in different regions and their evolution laws versus time are rarely available in the literature. Therefore, in this paper, the density fluctuations in the “liquid-like” and “gas-like” regions of a supercritical fluid at different isotherms and densities have been investigated and analyzed by molecular dynamic simulation. The results show that near the critical temperature, the density time series curve has a large fluctuation at the “pseudo-critical” point. As the system temperature and the deviation from the “pseudo-critical” point increase, the density fluctuation gradually decreases. In addition, with the density increase or decrease, the difference of density fluctuation between different isotherms decreases. This can indicate that the degree of density deviation from the “pseudo-critical” point is the main reason for density fluctuations. Moreover, supercritical fluid is a type of a heterogeneous medium with considerable density fluctuation and can be regarded as a mixture of high density (“liquid-like”) and low density (“gas-like”) fluids; therefore, the heterogeneous character declines with temperature, and the deviation from the “pseudo-critical” point increases. In this paper, nonlinear analysis has been based on the time series of density and the autocorrelation function, attractor phase diagram, and recurrence plots have been mainly used to conduct it. The studies confirm that the density fluctuations in the different region are deterministic chaotic or stochastic systems. Based on the time delay obtained from the autocorrelation function, the chaotic and stochastic characteristics of the calculated conditions can be preliminarily interpreted. It is demonstrated that the lower system temperature and closer to the pseudo-critical point, the time series curve has strong predictability. All of the time series only showed two different non-linear characteristics according to the phase diagram of the attractor and the recurrence plots. The result reveals that when the isotherm is near the critical point, a large density range represent chaotic characteristics and as the temperature increases, this range gradually decreases. Moreover, when T =1.075 T c, all the calculation conditions exhibit stochastic systems and chaotic systems no longer exist. Finally, a study on the sample entropy of different calculation conditions was conducted indicating a change trend in which the sample entropy of the chaotic system is less than that of the stochastic system. Additionally, as the deviation from the pseudo-critical point increases, the entropy converges in a small region and the difference between the different isotherms is reduced. At the same time, the effect of the system temperature on the sample entropy gradually decreases, and the system density plays a dominant role. This illustrates that a certain ordered structure in the chaotic system and a stronger disordered structure in the stochastic system exists and proves that this special structure of supercritical fluid exists in a certain range of temperature and pressure. These finding may facilitate to understand the characteristics of supercritical fluids and provide theoretical support for further exploration.

Comparative Analysis of Perspective Extragation Methods for Receiving Extractions from Fenugreek Seeds

Introduction. Today, innovative technologies are widely used in pharmacology (in particular, in the production of herbal preparations), in cosmetology (obtaining various extracts and oils, complex preparations), as well as in the food industry (as natural dyes, etc.). Plant extracts with a high level of risk do not have a harmful effect on the human body, except that they provide environmental safety, which creates a special interest for the pharmaceutical industry . vibrocavitation and supercritical fluid CO2 extraction.Aim. The choice of the optimal level of extraction to obtain a high level of fenugreek seeds.Materials and methods. Obtaining a vibrocavitation extract with an experimental vibration-explosive installation made at the Department of Processes and Apparatus of the St. Petersburg State Technology Institute. Extracts at a temperature of 60±2 ºС. The frequency of revolutions of the homogenizer ranged from 1000 to 5000 rpm. Ultrasonic impact using ultrasound unit I100-6/4 Ultrasonic effect on solid plant material with an intensity of 22 kHz for 60 minutes. The time of extraction in a vibro-cavitation extractor-homogenizer was studied for optimal values.Supercritical fluid CO2-extraction is obtained in two versions with the use of extragent (96% ethanol in the presence of carbon dioxide: ethanol 9:1) and without it. Extraction of the sound of a supercritical fluid extraction system with a 1-liter vessel. SFE1000-2-BASE with a kit for upgrading the SFE1000-2-BASE system to an SFE1000M1-2-FMC50 system (Waters, USA). The flow rate of the extractant was 60 g/min. Emergency listening for one hour and pressure 200, 300 and 400 bar. Extraction is observed three times. The obtained extracts indicate the amount of extractive substances according to article of Russian state pharmacopoeia 1.5.3.0006.15 «Determination of the content of extractive substances in plant raw materials and medicinal plant preparations». Quantitative determination of the saponin complex of parasitic seed seeds on an Agilent QTOF-6530 chromatograph with two ESI and APCI ionization sources according to Gravel et al.Results and discussion. Studies have allowed to determine the amount of extractives in the seeds and choose the most promising method. Conclusion. As a result of our research, it was found that the most promising extraction method for extracting seeds is a parasitic with vibration extraction at frequent revolutions of the homogenizer of 5000 rpm and an extraction time of 60 minutes.

Preparation of High-quality Glabridin Extract from Glycyrrhiza glabra

Supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) using cosolvent-modified supercritical carbon dioxide and a two-step separation/purification method was investigated as a way to improve the purity of glabridin, one of the many bioactive components of Glycyrrhiza glabra (licorice). The SFE parameters were optimized using an analytical-scale SFE system in the temperature range 40–80°C and the pressure range 10–50 MPa. The extraction was then scaled up by 100 times using a preparative SFE system under the following set of optimized conditions: 40°C, 30 MPa, and SCCO2 modified with ethanol equivalent to its 25% (v/v) concentration. The glabridin purity obtained through the scaled-up SFE system was 6.2%, a much higher level than that obtained through organic solvent extraction. The licorice extract obtained by scaling up the SFE system was isolated and purified by applying alcohol precipitation/ filtration and adsorption chromatography with 80% aqueous ethanol to obtain a purer product. It was confirmed that the glabridin purity of the final extract product was increased by up to 37%, without significant loss of glabridin after two separation/purification steps.

Optimisation of SC-CO2 Extraction of Curcuma zedoaria by Response Surface Methodology

In this study, Curcuma zedoaria was extracted using supercritical fluid extraction system (SFE) to obtain valuable extract. Optimisation of extraction condition for high yield and curzerene concentration was carried out by employing the Response Surface Methodology (RSM) particularly, Central Composite Design (CCD). The objectives of this work are to investigate the effect of temperature (40oC to 60oC) and pressure (100 to 300 bar) on extraction yield and concentration of major chemical constituents and determine the optimum parameter for high oil yield and curzerene concentration using RSM. Chemical constituents of the oil were analysed using gas chromatography (GC) and Gas Chromatography Spectrometry (GCMS) and showed that curzerene as the key chemical constituent in the oil extract. The results demonstrated that the oil yield obtained were ranged from 0.6 w/w% to 1.8 w/w% and curzerene concentration in range of 1.6% to 4.1%. The optimum parameters predicted by RSM for the highest oil yield and curzerene concentration were found to be 138.65 bar and 40oC, which produced the best oil yield and curzerene concentration predicted as 1.7 w/w % and 3.7% respectively. In conclusion, the pressure and temperature significantly influence the oil yield and oil concentration as p ≤ 0.05 for both factor.

Super-Critical-CO2 De-ECM Process

ABSTRACTExtracellular Matrix (ECM), a natural biomaterials, have recently garnered attention in tissue engineering for their high degree of cell proliferative capacity, biocompatibility, biodegradability, and tenability in the body. Decellularization process offers a unique approach for fabricating ECM-based natural scaffold for tissue engineering application by removing intracellular contents in a tissue that could cause any adverse host responses. The effects of Supercritical carbon dioxide (Sc-CO2) treatment on the histological and biochemical properties of the decellularized extracellular matrix (de-ECM) were evaluated and compared with de-ECM from conventional decellularization process to see if it offers significantly reduced treatment times, complete decellularization, and well preserved extracellular matrix structure. The study has shown that a novel method of using supercritical fluid extraction system indeed removed all unnecessary residues and only leaving ECM. The potential of Sc-CO2 de-ECM progressed as a promising approach in tissue repair and regeneration.

Influence of Fluid Exposure on Surface Chemistry and Pore-Fracture Morphology of Various Rank Coals: Implications for Methane Recovery and CO2 Storage

The surface chemistry and pore-fracture morphology of coals are critical to the process of CO2 sequestration in coal seams with enhanced coalbed methane (CH4) recovery (CO2-ECBM). To assess the influence of deionized water–CO2 mixture (DH2O–CO2) exposure on these properties, the interaction of DH2O–CO2 with three rank coals, i.e., sub-bituminous coal (SBC), high volatile bituminous coal (HVBC), and anthracite, was conducted on a dynamic supercritical fluid extraction system with a temperature of 45 °C and an equilibrium pressure of 12 MPa. Characterization methods including proximate analysis (PA), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), probe molecule (N2/CO2) adsorption, and low-field nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) were adopted to fully address the changes in surface functional groups and pore-fracture characteristics. The results indicate that the geochemical interaction occurs between the mineral matters and DH2O–CO2 as demonstrated by the change in th...

Anti-hypercholesterolemic and anti-hyperglycaemic effects of conventional and supercritical extracts of black cumin (Nigella sativa)

ObjectiveTo explore the hypoglycaemic and hypocholesterolemic potential of conventional and supercritical extracts of black cumin. MethodsPurposely, rat modelling was carried out for 2 months by designing three studies i.e. study I (normal rats), study II (hyperglycaemic rats) and study III (hypercholesterolemic rats). Each study was further divided into three groups based on diet i.e. control, functional diet (contained extract of black cumin prepared by using conventional solvent) and nutraceutical diet (contained extract of black cumin prepared by supercritical fluid extraction system). ResultsDuring whole trial, an abating trend was observed in the level of serum cholesterol with maximum reduction (12.8%) in nutraceutical group of study III. Low density lipoprotein and triglyceride level was also lowered maximum in study III as 17.1% and 11.6%, respectively. Whereas, highest decline in glucose level was in nutraceutical group of study II as 11.2%. ConclusionsInclusion of black cumin extracts in diet significantly lowers the occurrence of hyperglycaemia and hypercholesterolaemia. Furthermore, hypoglycaemic and hypocholesterolemic potential of nutraceutical diet is more prominent as compared to functional diet.

A hydrodynamic model of a continuous supercritical fluid extraction system for the treatment of oil contaminated solids

ABSTRACTSupercritical fluid extraction (SFE) has the potential to recover compounds from a range of solid matrices if a fully continuous process can be commercialized. This paper presents the development of a hydrodynamic model for a continuous pilot scale SFE process, involving countercurrent flow of a slurry and a supercritical fluid. The model developed is based on first principles and focuses on predicting pressure and slurry level within the extraction vessel. The model was validated using pilot scale system data. Using adjusted parameters, the model accurately predicted steady state pressure and provided a good estimate of slurry level.

Beneficial effects of TQRF and TQ nano- and conventional emulsions on memory deficit, lipid peroxidation, total antioxidant status, antioxidants genes expression and soluble Aβ levels in high fat-cholesterol diet-induced rats

The study determined the effect of thymoquinone rich fraction (TQRF) and thymoquinone (TQ) in the forms of nano- and conventional emulsions on learning and memory, lipid peroxidation, total antioxidant status, antioxidants genes expression and soluble β-amyloid (Aβ) levels in rats fed with a high fat-cholesterol diet (HFCD). The TQRF was extracted from Nigella sativa seeds using a supercritical fluid extraction system and prepared into nanoemulsion, which later named as TQRF nanoemulsion (TQRFNE). Meanwhile, TQ was acquired commercially and prepared into thymoquinone nanoemulsion (TQNE). The TQRF and TQ conventional emulsions (CE), named as TQRFCE and TQCE, respectively were studied for comparison. Statin (simvastatin) and non-statin (probucol) cholesterol-lowering agents, and a mild-to-severe Alzheimer's disease drug (donepezil) were served as control drugs. The Sprague Dawley rats were fed with HFCD for 6 months, and treated with the intervention groups via oral gavage daily for the last 3 months. As a result, HFCD-fed rats exhibited hypercholesterolaemia, accompanied by memory deficit, increment of lipid peroxidation and soluble Aβ levels, decrement of total antioxidant status and down-regulation of antioxidants genes expression levels. TQRFNE demonstrated comparable effects to the other intervention groups and control drugs in serum biomarkers as well as in the learning and memory test. Somehow, TQRFNE was more prominent than those intervention groups and control drugs in brain biomarkers concomitant to gene and protein expression levels. Supplementation of TQRFNE into an HFCD thus could ameliorate memory deficit, lipid peroxidation and soluble Aβ levels as well as improving the total antioxidant status and antioxidants genes expression levels.

Supercritical CO2 extraction pilot plant design - towards IoT integration

The interest in high pressure technology during last decades increased intensively. Supercritical Fluid Extraction (SFE) is a process that is growing in importance as an alternative to conventional separation processes. SFE uses environmentally friendly CO2 as the extracting agent in the process because of its relatively low critical pressure (7.38 MPa), its low critical temperature (304 K), its non-dangerous character and low cost. During this process it is necessary to use high pressures in the procedure. The extractor vessel (pressure vessel) is the most important equipment of the system, where the supercritical conditions need to be established and the extraction occurs. Also other devices (separator vessel, heat exchangers, valves etc.) are necessary to be involved in the process due to used high pressures. Safety is the most important factor while dealing with SFE systems and the design of such equipment with full safety of process is very hard task. Therefore, to achieve the high desired safety level, a reliable control system must be designed as the control system and data communication segment. Various different process parameters such as CO2 mass flow rate, extraction pressures and temperatures affect the extraction process and the quality of the extract ; hence these parameters need to be precisely controlled and monitored during the extraction. A design of one supercritical CO2 extraction laboratory-pilot plant and development of a remote control and its supervision system is presented in this paper. The developed SFE system (mechanical and electrical components) was compared with the existing commercial systems and its main advantages over the existing systems are presented. By enabling remote control and supervision the classical process control is joined with the concept of Internet of Things (IoT), where the information becomes omnipresent in the vast realm of Internet.

Optimization of Supercritical Fluid Extraction and Rapid Resolution LC-MS/ESI Identification of Chromones from Saposhnikoviae Radix through Orthogonal Array Design

ObjectiveTo establish a rapid and effective supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) and rapid resolution liquid chromatography method coupled with diode-array detector (RRLC-DAD) to quantify the chromones in a species. MethodsThe effects of four parameters including ethanol concentration (50%–90%), pressure (25–45 MPa), temperature (40–60 oC), and time (30–90 min) on the chromones yields, namely prim-O-glucosylcimifugin, cimifugin, 5-O-methylvisammioside, and sec-O-gluco-sylhamaudol, were investigated using SFE system with orthogonal array design (OAD). Furthermore, the extracts were analyzed using rapid resolution liquid chromatography coupled with diode-array detector (RRLC-DAD) system to confirm the results. ResultsUnder the optimized conditions, i. e., 35 MPa of pressure, 60 °C of temperature, 70% ethanol, and 60 min of time, the yields of prim-O-glucosylcimifugin, cimifugin, 5-O-methylvisammioside, sec-O-glucosylhamaudol, and total chromones were 3.514, 0.132, 6.242, 0.342, and 10.231 mg/g, respectively. In comparison with ultrasonic assisted extraction (UAE), SFE was able to yield a 20.7% increase in the total chromones from Saposhnikoviae Radix. ConclusionSFE is an alternative and promising method to extract chromones from this species, and the established RRLC-DAD method could serve as a rapid and effective method for the identification of chromones from Saposhnikoviae Radix.

Inverse supercritical fluid extraction as a sample preparation method for the analysis of the nanoparticle content in sunscreen agents

We demonstrate the use of inverse supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO2) extraction as a novel method of sample preparation for the analysis of complex nanoparticle-containing samples, in our case a model sunscreen agent with titanium dioxide nanoparticles. The sample was prepared for analysis in a simplified process using a lab scale supercritical fluid extraction system. The residual material was easily dispersed in an aqueous solution and analyzed by Asymmetrical Flow Field-Flow Fractionation (AF4) hyphenated with UV- and Multi-Angle Light Scattering detection. The obtained results allowed an unambiguous determination of the presence of nanoparticles within the sample, with almost no background from the matrix itself, and showed that the size distribution of the nanoparticles is essentially maintained. These results are especially relevant in view of recently introduced regulatory requirements concerning the labeling of nanoparticle-containing products. The novel sample preparation method is potentially applicable to commercial sunscreens or other emulsion-based cosmetic products and has important ecological advantages over currently used sample preparation techniques involving organic solvents.

English

In a past few decades the variety of hemp Cannabis sativa L. was unfairly neglected because of the similarity with the kind of hemp that is illegal and is used as a narcotic. The objective of this study was to evaluate the oil extraction process from Cannabis sativa seeds by cold pressing followed by extraction with supercritical CO2. In pressing experiments, the response surface methodology was conducted in order to study the effects of temperature, frequency and nozzle size on oil recovery and quality parameters. The optimal condition to obtain the highest oil recovery and the best oil quality within the experimental range of the variables studied was at temperature of 60 °C, frequency of 20 Hz and using nozzle of ID 6 mm. The residual oil in the press cake was totally extracted by supercritical CO2 in newly designed and built supercritical fluid extraction system. The oregano essential oil was the most effective in protecting the oil from oxidative deterioration.

Mechanistic basis for protection of differentiated SH-SY5Y cells by oryzanol-rich fraction against hydrogen peroxide-induced neurotoxicity.

BackgroundApoptosis is often the end result of oxidative damage to neurons. Due to shared pathways between oxidative stress, apoptosis and antioxidant defence systems, an oxidative insult could end up causing cellular apoptosis or survival depending on the severity of the insult and cellular responses. Plant bioresources have received close attention in recent years for their potential role in regulating the pathways involved in apoptosis and oxidative stress in favour of cell survival. Rice bran is a bioactive-rich by-product of rice milling process. It possesses antioxidant properties, making it a promising source of antioxidants that could potentially prevent oxidative stress-induced neurodegenerative diseases.MethodsThus, the present study investigated the neuroprotective properties of oryzanol-rich fraction (ORF) against hydrogen peroxide (H2O2)-induced neurotoxicity in differentiated human neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cells. ORF was extracted from rice bran using a green technology platform, supercritical fluid extraction system. Furthermore, its effects on cell viability, morphological changes, cell cycle, and apoptosis were evaluated. The underlying transcriptomic changes involved in regulation of oxidative stress, apoptosis and antioxidant defence systems were equally studied.ResultsORF protected differentiated SH-SY5Y cells against H2O2-induced neurotoxicity through preserving the mitochondrial metabolic enzyme activities, thus reducing apoptosis. The mechanistic basis for the neuroprotective effects of ORF included upregulation of antioxidant genes (catalase, SOD 1 and SOD 2), downregulation of pro-apoptotic genes (JNK, TNF, ING3, BAK1, BAX, p21 and caspase-9), and upregulation of anti-apoptotic genes (ERK1/2, AKT1 and NF-Kβ).ConclusionThese findings suggest ORF may be an effective antioxidant that could prevent oxidative stress-induced neurodegenerative disorders.