Supercritical CO2 extraction of oil from seeds of six grape cultivars : modeling of mass transfer kinetics and evaluation of lipid profiles and tocol contents

The current study focuses on the recovery of grape seed oil by supercritical CO2extraction. Grape seedsfrom six grape cultivars were extracted in two subsequent harvesting years, and the resulting oils werecharacterized for the relative amount of: (a) lipid classes; (b) lipid acyl chains; and (c) tocopherols andtocotrienols. Comparative extractions were performed by utilizing n-hexane as solvent and by mechanicalpressure. A well-established modeling approach was applied to evaluate the mass transfer parametersaffecting the kinetics of supercritical CO2extraction: with these parameters, process scale-up can beaddressed. The results reported in this study testify the potentiality of grape seed oil as a source ofunsaturated fatty acids and tocols. Moreover, they offer a clear picture of the similarities and differencesamong oils from different grape cultivars and obtained through different extraction techniques.