Extraction and processing with supercritical fluids

OVERVIEW: Extraction and processing with supercritical fluids (SCF) is increasingly gaining importance in the food, pharmaceutical and chemical industries. Supercritical fluid extraction (SCFE) using carbon dioxide (CO2) as a solvent has emerged as a highly popular technology today over the conventional techniques for extraction of natural products for rapid, contamination-free, tailor-made extracts having superior quality and shelf-life and high potency of active ingredients. IMPACT: The importance of SCFE is on the rise due to consumers' preferences for 'natural' as opposed to synthetic substances and, impending regulations for environmental protection, safety, nutritive and toxicity levels. APPLICATIONS: Newer applications of SCFs include separation and purification of chemicals, cleaning, coating, particle formation, textile dyeing, aerogel drying, reactions with separation and food preservation. Some fundamental aspects of SCFs, various processing technologies with SCFs, and a few newer potential applications are presented in this article. (C) 2008 Society of Chemical Industry