Determination of Extractables from Cranberry Seeds Using Supercritical CO₂

An alternative method for extraction of therapeutically beneficial compounds such as sterols, fatty acids, and tocopherols from cranberry seeds with pure SF CO2 has been provided. The supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) operating conditions such as extraction temperature, pressure of CO2, extraction time, and CO2 flow rate were optimized to maximize the extraction yield. The amount and type of SF extractables (pure CO₂) have been compared with Soxhlet extractables (hexane) to evaluate the feasibility of SFE as an alternative extraction method. The extractables obtained via hexane and SF CO₂, which were derivatized and identified by gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS), contained mostly methylated fatty acids.