Process Optimization of Supercritical Carbon Dioxide Extraction of 1,8-Cineole from Small Cardamom Seeds by Response Surface Methodology: In Vitro Antioxidant, Antidiabetic and Hypocholesterolemic Activities of Extracts

Optimization of supercritical carbon dioxide (SC-CO2 ) extraction parameters was carried out employing a full factorial design of experiments and response surface methodology, to obtain an extract possessing the best combination of 1,8-cincole content (32.18 mg/g dry seeds) and therapeutic properties (antioxidant, antidiabetic and hypocholesterolemic). A batch size of 25 g of small cardamom seeds when extracted at 200 bar, 50 degrees C for 90 min at a flow rate of 2 L/min of gaseous CO2, provided an extract having the best combination of 1,8 cineole content along with antioxidant (IC50 values of 65 +/- 3.0 mu g/ml), antidiabetic (IC50 values of 0.78 +/- 0.05 mg/ml indicating inhibitory activity on alpha-anylase) and hypocholesterolemic (84.52 % inhibition of micellar solubility of cholesterol) properties. A Chrastil equation was developed to validate yields 1,8-cineole in the extracts with its solubility in SC-CO2 under varying experimental conditions. This extract is a promising nutraceutical supplement and could be further used in designer foods.