Extraction of carotenoids and chlorophyll from microalgae with supercritical carbon dioxide and ethanol as cosolvent

The extraction of carotenoids and chlorophylls using carbon dioxide modified with ethanol as a cosolvent is an alternative to solvent extraction because it provides a high-speed extraction process. In the study described here, carotenoid and chlorophyll extraction with supercritical CO2 + ethanol was explored using freeze-dried powders of three microalgae (Nannochloropsis gaditana, Synechococcus sp. and Dunaliella salina) as the raw materials. The operation conditions were as follows: pressures of 200, 300, 400 and 500 bar, temperatures of 40, 50 and 60 degrees C. Analysis of the extracts was performed by measuring the absorbance and by using empirical correlations. The results demonstrate that it is necessary to work at a temperature of 50-60 degrees C and a pressure range of 300-500 bar, depending on the type of microalgae, in order to obtain the highest yield of pigments. The best carotenoid/chlorophyll ratios were obtained by using supercritical fluid extraction + cosolvent instead of using conventional extraction. The higher selectivity of the former process should facilitate the separation and purification of the two extracted pigments.