CO2超臨界萃取法

CO2超臨界萃取法, 能將精油差不多所有化學份子都能萃取出來, 原來某些精油萃取量會較蒸餾萃取法高很多倍, 例如迷迭香, 兩者相差10倍產量.

由於CO2超臨界萃取法成本昂貴, 所以精油價錢也較蒸餾萃取法的精油價錢昂貴

 

Source: Robert Tisserand Essential Training

Did you know that different extraction methods mean not only different chemical composition, but also different yields?

Here is a comparison of steam distillation and supercritical CO2 extraction of some plant materials.

While the differences are not so dramatic for some, such as clove bud, they are quite significant for others. Rosemary CO2 extraction results in 10 times the yield of steam distillation, for example.

The reason is that carbon dioxide extracts a wider range of molecules than does steam.

 (Data from Mukhopadadhyay, M., Natural Extracts Using Supercritical Carbon Dioxide, CRC Press, 2000. ISBN 0-84930819-4)