Fatty acid composition and oxidation stability of hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) seed oil extracted by supercritical carbon dioxide

Supercritical carbon dioxide (SC-CO2) was employed to extract oil from hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) seeds. For ground seeds, the supercritical extraction was carried out at temperatures of 40, 60 and 80 degrees C and pressures of 300 and 400 bar. Different solvent-ratios were applied. Supercritical CO2 extractions were compared with a conventional technique, n-hexane in Soxhlet. The extraction yields, fatty acid composition of the oil and oxidation stability were determined. The seed samples used in this work contained 81% PUFAs, of which 59.6% was linoleic acid (omega-6), 3.4% gamma-linolenic (omega-3), and 18% alpha-linolenic (omega-6). The highest oil yield from seeds was 22%, corresponding to 72% recovery, at 300 bar and 40 degrees C and at 400 bar and 80 C. The highest oxidation stability corresponding to 2.16 mM Ed Vit E was obtained at 300 bar and 80 degrees C. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.