Enhancement of omega-3 content in sacha inchi seed oil extracted with supercritical carbon dioxide in semi-continuous process

Sacha inchi seed oil is a promising substance for applications in food, pharmaceutical, and nutraceutical industries because of its valuable components, particularly omega-3. In this research, sacha inchi oil was extracted from the seed kernels using supercritical carbon dioxide (CO(2)) extraction compared with Soxhlet extraction. The influences of extraction time, type of solvents (hexane, ethanol, butanol, and i-propanol), and solvent volume on the oil yield and compositions were investigated in the Soxhlet. In the supercritical CO(2) extraction, the effects of extraction time, temperature, and pressure were evaluated. The physicochemical properties of sacha inchi oils extracted with supercritical CO(2) were characterized. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) equipped with energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) were also carried out. The results showed the advantage of using supercritical CO(2) extraction to increase the omega-3 content in the extracted oil within a shorter extraction time. The omega-3 content of 46.08% was obtained from the supercritical CO(2) extraction at 400 bar and 60 °C. Supercritical CO(2) extraction is a safe and environmentally friendly method that yields a toxic-free oil.