Supercritical fluid extraction of tea seed oil and its comparison with solvent extraction

Supercritical fluid extraction ( SFE) of tea seed oil was performed to study the effects of various parameters such as pressure, temperature, extraction time ( dynamic) and modifier ( ethanol) on the yield and composition of the oil. The results were also compared with those obtained by Soxhlet extraction, ultrasonic extraction, and DGF ( Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Fettwissenschaft) standard method B- I5 ( 87) in lab conditions. The yield of tea seed oil obtained using SFE was similar to or higher than the other methods. The results from SFE showed that the modifier and pressure have significant effects on the extraction efficiency. The oil extracted by SFE in the absence of modifier was clearer than the oils obtained in other conditions. The fatty acid composition of each extract was determined by gas chromatography. Palmitic ( C16: 0), stearic ( C18: 0), oleic ( C18: 1), linoleic ( C18: 2) and gadoleic ( C20: 1) fatty acids were observed in the oil samples. Since it contains high- unsaturated fatty acids ( UFA) and low saturated fatty acids ( SFA), edible tea seed oil is also relatively healthy.