Supercritical CO2 extraction of cupuassu butter from defatted seed residue: experimental data, mathematical modeling and cost of manufacturing

Abstract

The aim of this work was to perform a techno-economic feasibility study of the supercritical CO2 (scCO2) extraction for obtaining solvent-free cupuassu butter from cold-pressing by-product of cupuassu seeds and assess the influence of thermodynamic and kinetic variables on the yield, chemical composition, and manufacturing cost of the extracts. Phenolic content (0.47–2.82 mg/g) was much lower than those found in the literature (20–23 mg/g). The high contents of alpha (7.72–18.05 mg/g), gamma (233–365 mg/g), and delta (11.84–44.10 mg/g) tocopherols, as well as the high levels of unsaturated fatty acids (48%) compared to the saturated fatty acids (52%), give the cupuassu butter obtained by supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) a solvent-free product with high value-added and great potential for use as an ingredient in food, pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries. Optimal conditions for SFE of butter regarding extraction kinetics, chemical composition and production costs were 30–35 MPa and 50 °C.