Author
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King, Jerry |
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Dunford, Nurhan |
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Taylor, Scott |
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Submitted to: Supercritical Fluids International Symposium
Publication Type: Proceedings Publication Acceptance Date: 12/6/2000 Publication Date: N/A Citation: N/A Interpretive Summary: The use of natural extracts or products containing therapeutic ingredients for maintaining and/or improving human health are frequently referred to as nutraceuticals. Such substances range from herbal-derived extracts, plant oil and protein products, to foodstuffs fortified with health-promoting ingredients. Many of these substances are obtained from extraction of, or separation from, agricultural products. In this study, a natural and environmentally-benign technology, known as critical fluid technology, is used to isolate nutraceutical components from soybean, rice bran, or corn fiber/bran oils. The results of this research provide alternative uses for American-produced farm products, therefore aiding the farmer and food and pharmaceutical industries, while providing an improved product that is residue-free for the consuming public. Technical Abstract: Recent developments and commercialization of nutraceutical and functional food ingredients from a variety of agricultural resources has provided a unique opportunity for the utilization of critical fluid technology. Aside from the environmental benefits of using critical fluid media as a process agent, there is also the appeal to the consuming public from the perspective of ingredient safety, for consuming products obtained using only carbon dioxide, water, or GRAS (generally regarded as safe) solvents. Thermal gradient fractionation columns using several different modes of operation have been used to enrich sterol ester components from a variety of seed oil sources, as well as to remove unwanted components, such as fatty acids, from the resultant extracts. Precise control of the variables effecting fractionation column performance were critical for obtaining the reported enrichments, since many of the nutritionally beneficial ingredients are present in only small quantities in the starting seed-based materials. Higher enrichment of the trace nutritional ingredients can be achieved by using the preparative mode of supercritical fluid chromatography (SFC) in conjunction with extraction. This concept was demonstrated for the combined SFE/SFC enrichment of sterol esters and phospholipids, using a form of gradient elution chromatography in which SC-CO2 is the principle component of the mobile phase. Finally, the exploitation of reaction chemistry using critical fluid media was used to directly synthesize sterol or fatty acid esters for incorporation into food matrices. This is conveniently accomplished by using enzymatic catalysis in order to preserve the natural and benign nature of the synthesis process and resultant product. |
