Equilibrium data for the separation of oleoresin capsicum using supercritical CO2: A theoretical design of a countercurrent gas extraction column

Advances and challenges in the fractionation of edible oils and fats through supercritical fluid processing

Petrochemical solvents are widely used for the extraction and fractionation of biomolecules from edible oils and fats at an industrial scale. However, owing to its safety concerns, toxicity, price fluctuations, and sustainability, alternative solvents and technologies have been actively explored in recent years. Technologies, such as ultrasound and microwave-assisted extraction, supercritical carbon dioxide extraction, supercritical fluid fractionation, and sub-critical water extraction, and solvents, like ionic liquids and deep eutectic solvents, are reported for extraction and fractionation of biomolecules. Among them, supercritical carbon dioxide extraction and fractionation are some of the most promising green technologies with the potential to replace petrochemical-based conventional techniques. The addition of cosolvents, such as water, ethanol, and acetone, improves the extraction of amphiphilic and polar compounds from edible oils and fats. Supercritical fluid processing has diverse applications, including concentration of solutes, selective separation of desired molecules, and separation of undesirable compounds from the feed material. Temperature, pressure, particle size, porosity, flow rate, solvent-to-feed ratio, density, viscosity, diffusivity, solubility, partition coefficient, and separation factor are the fundamental factors governing the extraction and fractionation of desired biomolecules from lipids. Supercritical fluids stand alone compared to conventional fluids, because of their tunable solvent properties. Overall, it is to be noted that supercritical fluid-based methods have lots of scope to replace conventional solvent-based methods and progress toward the creation of sustainable food-processing techniques. This review critically evaluates the parameters responsible for the extraction and fractionation of biomolecules from edible oils and fats under supercritical conditions.

Green Ultrasound-Assisted Extraction of Bioactive Compounds from Cumari-Do-Pará Peppers (Capsicum chinense Jacq.) Employing Vegetable Oils as Solvents

Capsaicin, carotenoids, and phenolic compounds from cumari-do-Pará peppers (Capsicum chinense Jacq.) harvested from two different locations in Pará, Brazil, and at different ripening stages were extracted by employing green methodologies as an alternative to organic solvents. Edible vegetable oils from soybeans (Glycine max), Brazilian nuts (Bertholettia excelsa H.B.), and palm olein were used in combination with ultrasonic-assisted extraction (UAE). The proximate composition of the pepper extracts and vitamin C were determined through AOAC methods, total phenolics and carotenoids were assessed by UV/Vis spectrophotometry, and capsaicin by high-performance liquid chromatography. Antioxidant cumari-do-Pará extract activities were evaluated by the ABTS radical scavenging and β-carotene/linoleic acid assays. The vegetable oils were suitable for extracting and preserving bioactive pepper compounds, especially mature ones harvested from Igarapé-Açu. Bioactive compound content and antioxidant activity varied with harvesting location and ripening stage. Soybean oil was the most effective in extracting bioactive pepper compounds, particularly carotenoids, with 69% recovery. Soybean oil extracts enriched in capsaicin, carotenoids, and phenolics obtained from cumari-do-Pará can be used as spices in foodstuffs and/or as additives in pharmaceutical and nutraceutical formulations. Edible vegetable oils combined with UAE are promising for bioactive compound extraction, representing an environmentally friendly, safe, low-cost, versatile, and fast alternative.

Ultrastructural study on dynamics of lipid bodies and plastids during ripening of chili pepper fruits

Dynamics of lipid bodies and plastids in chili pepper fruits during ripening were investigated by means of transmission electron microscopy. Mesocarp of chili pepper fruits consists of collenchyma, normal parenchyma, and huge celled parenchyma. In mature green fruits, plastids contain numerous thylakoids that are well organized into grana in collenchyma, a strikingly huge amount of starch and irregularly organized thylakoids in normal parenchyma, and simple tubes rather than thylakoids in huge celled parenchyma. These morphological features suggest that plastids are chloroplasts in collenchyma, chloroamyloplasts in normal parenchyma, proplastids in huge celled parenchyma. As fruits ripen to red, plastids in all cell types convert to chromoplasts and, concomitantly, lipid bodies accumulate in both cytoplasm and chromoplasts. Cytosolic lipid bodies are lined up in a regular layer adjacent to plasma membrane. The cytosolic lipid body consists of a core surrounded by a membrane. The core is comprised of a more electron-dense central part enclosed by a slightly less electron-dense peripheral layer. Plastidial lipid bodies in collenchyma, normal parenchyma, and endodermis initiate as plastoglobuli, which in turn convert to rod-like structures. Therefore, plastidial lipid bodies are more dynamic than cytosolic lipid bodies. Both cytosolic and plastidial lipid bodies contain rich unsaturated lipids.