Supercritical fluid technology for processing of lipids and bioactives

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The proposed research program focuses on the application of supercritical fluid technology to Canada's natural biological resources to develop novel processes and to obtain high quality value-added products. Carbon dioxide (CO2) is the supercritical fluid of choice for food applications. At temperatures and pressures above its critical point (31oC, 7.4 MPa), supercritical (SC) CO2 has properties in between those of a liquid and a gas. The use of petroleum-based organic solvents for the processing of food and natural health products is being questioned due to safety concerns. SC-CO2 extraction eliminates the use of organic solvents, leaving no solvent residue in the final product since CO2 separates as a gas upon pressure reduction. This is especially important in the rapidly growing field of natural health products/nutraceuticals since the consumers are demanding “natural” extracts. Thus, there has been a tremendous growth in the SC-CO2 extraction of health benefiting bioactive components from various plant materials at industrial scale. Development of novel applications of the SC-CO2 technology through better understanding of the fundamental principles governing this process and evaluation of the products obtained are the main goals of this research program. The use of supercritical fluids in my program involves the unit operations of extraction, fractionation, reactions, membrane separation and particle formation applied to lipids and nutraceuticals. As such, my program is unique in North America and well respected globally. The next phase of my research program will focus on enhancing our understanding of the fundamentals in terms of solubility and phase behavior of the complex mixtures of lipids and bioactives in SC-CO2. Various physical properties necessary for engineering modeling and process design such as interfacial tension and contact angle will be determined. A major focus will be column and membrane separations for the isolation of bioactives and particle formation techniques targeting micro/nano particles to design novel delivery systems for bioactives, especially for high-value functional food, nutraceutical and cosmetic applications. The bioactives of interest are omega-3 fatty acids, phytosterols, tocopherols and carotenoids, which have been demonstrated to have beneficial effects against heart disease and cancer. The proposed program will contribute to the training of highly qualified personnel in the area of food engineering, which is in high demand for value-added processing of our agricultural resources.