All our manufacturing is done using the latest SCFE CO2 technology and we can proudly say that we have invested lot of time and research in developing the right variables necessary to get the best output from the production- all of them are our closely guarded secret! And we are not finished there- we are still fine tuning so that we can get the best output. And this gives us the competitive edge over other manufacturers, where our belief to invest in R&D and try new ways of working makes us step ahead of others.

 

The art of producing oils has been going for many thousands of years with traces of pure oil found even before Egyptian Pyramid times but the technology has evolved with time & generation. There are 3 main techniques of Extraction: 1) Steam Distillation, 2) Solvent, 3) SCFE CO2

  1. STEAM DISTILLED OIL EXTRACTION: It all started with simple Steam Distillation where oil was collected by boiling raw-material in water. Even at the present time majority of the industry is still using this form of simple extraction but the biggest downside of this method is loss in top notes and presence of heavy metals in oil.
  2. SOLVENTS: You can also extract using Solvents like petroleum products like Hexane. It is a multi-step process which produces a waxy substance commonly used to make solid/semi-solid perfumes. This can be further filtered to make Absolute Oils that are high in aroma & are most often used in Perfumeries.
  3. SUPERCRITICAL FLUID EXTRACTION (SCFE): This is the most recent technology which is still evolving and has been in market for under 10 years (beware of companies that claim they have many decades’ experience in CO2 technology!) and uses Temperature & Pressure to extract oil.

There are many Benefits of CO2 technology but 2 key ones that trumps everything else are- a) top notes are still maintained (& therefore extracted oil is nearest you can get to botanical raw-material), and b) there are no impurities & heavy metal in the oil/extract. This is mainly because CO2 technology uses low temperature to extract the oil- average temperature for CO2 oil extraction is below 40 degree centigrade (vs 100 degree centigrade for steam distilled).

SUPERCRITICAL FLUID EXTRACTION (SCFE) TECHNOLOGY

The technology is being utilised for the manufacturing of various essential oils, oleoresins and herbal extracts, natural colours, Decaffeination of coffee & liquid fractionation. These products are well sought after for applications in Flavors, Fragrances, Medicines, Food, Cosmetics, Nutraceuticals and Aromatherapy.

PROCESS

  1. SCFE is a two-step process which uses dense gas as a solvent e.g. carbon dioxide (CO2) for extraction, above its critical temperature (31º C) and critical pressure (74 kg/cm²).
  2. The feed, generally ground solid /liquid, is charged into the extractor.
  3. Supercritical CO2 is fed to the extractor through a high pressure pump (100-500 kg/cm²).
  4. The extract laden CO2 is sent to a separator (60-120 kg/cm²) via a pressure reduction valve.
  5. At reduced temperature and pressure conditions, the extract precipitates out in the separator.
  6. The extract free CO2 stream, leaving the separator is then recycled to the extractor.
  7. In the case of liquid feed, the extractor is modified into a column through which feed and the supercritical CO2 is fed either co- currently or concurrently.

technology

Advantages of SCFE:

  1. No harmful residue.
  2. No Hydrolysis or destruction of temperature sensitive active ingredients.
  3. Products contain lower levels of monoterpene hydrocarbons.
  4. Products obtained that is closest to the aroma and other properties of the original botanical material.
  5. Longer shelf life extracts.
  6. Dissolving power of the SCO2 is controlled by pressure and/or temperature
  7. CO2 is easily recoverable due to its volatility
  8. High boiling components are extracted at relatively low temperatures
  9. Thermally labile compounds can be extracted with minimal damage
  10. Free from any type of environmental pollution.

Our SCFE Products are used by various end users like

  1. Natural Flavors for Pharmaceutical products and Food industry
  2. Purify ingredients for Herbal Medicines and Cosmetics
  3. Excellent Fragrance for Perfumery & Aromatherapy formulation
  4. Unaltered ingredients for Neutraceuticals and Functional Foods
    1. For antioxidative and antimicrobial constituents
    2. Anti-inflammatory constituents, Anti-cancerous alkaloids, Anti-carcinogenic polyphenols
    3. Therapeutic oils and fatty acids
    4. Flavonoids and carotenoids
  5. Decaffeination of coffee
  6. Natural antioxidents extraction like β Carotene
  7. Natural food colours

Why should one use CO2 Extracts when they are Expensive?

  1. Nearest to natural botanical raw materials!
  2. No solvent residues!
  3. No Heavy metals!
  4. No microbial contamination!
  5. No decomposition, hydrolysis or hydrolysis products!
  6. No polar substances!
  7. Better stability in the formulation, longer shelf life for end products
  8. Reduced consumption resulting in economy benefits of 15-25% in final application!