Innovative supercritical CO2 extraction of lycopene from tomato in the presence of vegetable oil as co-solvent

This work describes an innovative process for the extraction of lycopene from tomato using supercritical carbon dioxide in the presence of vegetable oil as co-solvent. The presence of the co-solvent improves the yields of the lycopene extract and has a beneficial role in the stability of the pigment. A complete description of the extraction process is also reported. The experiments carried out with and without co-solvent at pressures and temperatures ranging from 335 to 450 bar and 45 to 70degreesC, respectively, bar have shown that the amount of the extractable lycopene depends on the experimental conditions. Also, the maximum amount of the extractable lycopene from dried tomato (6% of moisture, average particle size of about 1 mm), at 450 bar and 66 degreesC in the presence of co-solvent and utilizing a flow rate of about 20 kg CO2/h, was 60%. The extracts were analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography and UV-vis spectra. (C) 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.