Supercritical CO2 Extraction Process

The use of supercritical fluids as solvents dates back about 142 years (1879), where the term gas extraction was first reported. Since then, the solvent power of several fluids within their supercritical state has been documented in hundreds of thousands of scientific publications. Within the supercritical state, CO2 exhibits liquid-like density and gas-like viscosity that result in higher solubility than liquid solvents. Industrially, SCO2 has been used for the decaffeination of coffee beans, production of antioxidants, extraction of species, and others. Contrary, SCO2 has not been an industrial reality yet in the dairy industry partially due to the lack of fundamental knowledge of phase equilibrium and mass transfer kinetics for specific dairy components and applications.