Coenzyme Q10 solubility in supercritical CO2 using a dynamic system

Improved water dispersion and bioavailability of coenzyme Q10 by bacterial cellulose nanofibers

The purpose of this study was to investigate the potential of bacterial cellulose nanofiber suspension (BCNs) as stabilizer in anti-solvent precipitation and its effect on improving bioavailability of coenzyme Q10. Bacterial cellulose (BC) was hydrolyzed by sulfuric acid followed by the oxidation with hydrogen peroxide to prepare BCNs. The suspension of BCNs-loaded CoQ10 (CoQ10-BCNs) were prepared by antisolvent precipitation. The zeta potential of CoQ10-BCNs was about -36.01 mV. The properties of CoQ10, BCNs and CoQ10-BCNs were studied by scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscope, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, differential scanning calorimetry and thermo gravimetric analysis. The crystallinity of CoQ10 decreased in CoQ10-BCNs compared with the raw CoQ10, and CoQ10-BCNs have good physicochemical stability. In oral bioavailability studies, the area under curve (AUC) of CoQ10-BCNs was about 3.62 times higher than the raw CoQ10 in rats.

Pharmaceutical Applications of Supercritical Fluid Extraction of Emulsions for Micro-/Nanoparticle Formation

Micro-/nanoparticle formulations containing drugs with or without various biocompatible excipients are widely used in the pharmaceutical field to improve the physicochemical and clinical properties of the final drug product. Among the various micro-/nanoparticle production technologies, emulsion-based particle formation is the most widely used because of its unique advantages such as uniform generation of spherical small particles and higher encapsulation efficiency (EE). For this emulsion-based micro-/nanoparticle technology, one of the most important factors is the extraction efficiency associated with the fast removal of the organic solvent. In consideration of this, a technology called supercritical fluid extraction of emulsions (SFEE) that uses the unique mass transfer mechanism and solvent power of a supercritical fluid (SCF) has been proposed to overcome the shortcomings of several conventional technologies such as solvent evaporation, extraction, and spray drying. This review article presents the main aspects of SFEE technology for the preparation of micro-/nanoparticles by focusing on its pharmaceutical applications, which have been organized and classified according to several types of drug delivery systems and active pharmaceutical ingredients. It was definitely confirmed that SFEE can be applied in a variety of drugs from water-soluble to poorly water-soluble. In addition, it has advantages such as low organic solvent residual, high EE, desirable release control, better particle size control, and agglomeration prevention through efficient and fast solvent removal compared to conventional micro-/nanoparticle technologies. Therefore, this review will be a good resource for determining the applicability of SFEE to obtain better pharmaceutical quality when researchers in related fields want to select a suitable manufacturing process for preparing desired micro-/nanoparticle drug delivery systems containing their active material.

Insights into the Supercritical CO2 Extraction of Perilla Oil and Its Theoretical Solubility

In the current research, the supercritical carbon dioxide (SCCO2) procedure was used to extract volatile oils from perilla leaves. The yields of the volatile oils and the four main constituents, limonene, perillaldehyde, β-caryophyllene, and (Z,E)-α-farnesene obtained by the SCCO2 procedure were 1.31-, 1.12-, 1.04-, 1.05-, and 1.07-fold higher than those obtained by the hydrodistillation technique, respectively. Furthermore, the duration and temperature of extraction were 40 min and 45 °C lower, respectively, in the former procedure compared to the latter technique. These advantages reveal that SCCO2 not only obtains high-quality extracts, but also meets the requirements of green environmental protection. The theoretical solubilities of the volatile oils acquired by the SCCO2 dynamic extraction at various temperatures and pressures were 1.385 × 10−3–8.971 × 10−3 (g oil/g CO2). Moreover, the three density-based models were well correlated with these theoretical solubility data, with a high coefficient of determination and low average absolute relative deviation.

Novel Technologies Based on Supercritical Fluids for the Encapsulation of Food Grade Bioactive Compounds

In recent years, the demand for nutritive, functional and healthy foods has increased. This trend has induced the food industry to investigate novel technologies able to produce ingredients with enhanced functional and physicochemical properties. Among these technologies, one of the most promising is the encapsulation based on supercritical fluids. Thanks to the inherent absence of organic solvent, the low temperature of the process to reach a supercritical state and the capacity to dissolve lipid soluble bioactives, the encapsulation with supercritical carbon dioxide represents a green technology to produce several functional ingredients, with enhanced stability, high load and tailored protection from environmental factors. Furthermore, from the fine-tuning of the process parameters like temperature, pressure and flow rate, the resulting functional ingredient can be easily designed to tailor the controlled release of the bioactive, or to reach specific levels of taste, odor and color. Accordingly, the aim of the present review is to summarize the state of the art of the techniques based on supercritical carbon dioxide for the encapsulation of bioactive compounds of food interest. Pros and cons of such techniques will be highlighted, giving emphasis to their innovative aspects that could be of interest to the food industry.