Supercritical extraction of borage seed oil coupled to conventional solvent extraction of antioxidants

Abstract This paper describes the extraction of borage seed oil by supercritical carbon dioxide (SC‐CO2) and the further extraction of antioxidants from the SC‐CO2‐defatted borage meal with organic solvents (water, methanol, ethanol and ethyl acetate). The optimal conditions for oil extraction were obtained at 303 and 323 K at 200 bar, 2.5 h and a continuous flow of CO2 of 1.5 L/h introduced through the bottom when the operating pressure and temperature were reached, attaining a yield of 60%. Borage oil is rich in unsaturated fatty acids; oleic acid, linoleic acid and linolenic acid accounted for 74% of the total fatty acid content under the above conditions. The highest extraction yield was achieved using water or methanol as extracting solvent from the SC‐CO2‐defatted borage meal at 303 K and pressures of 200 and 150 bar for water and methanol, respectively. The most potent extracts, according to all methods tested, were obtained with water and methanol.