Supplements & functional ingredients CO2 extraction can
lead to purer, higher yields compared with traditional solvent- based methods.
Furthermore, the technique can be applied to valorise waste by extracting high-value ingredients from the by-products of food processing, such as polyphenols and antioxidants from vegetable water and lycopene from tomato skins. With industry under increasing pressure to reduce waste, food waste valorisation is becoming a hot topic.
“Certain types of vegetable waste are now seen as source material, so instead of paying to dispose of waste, you’ll end up with a first-stage raw material that can be valorised – perhaps as a source of fibre and valuable compounds. For example, some polymers can be obtained from vegetable waste using supercritical CO2
,” says Destefano.
Innovation in new diets Further CO2
-related innovation is happening in the area of protein substitutes. As consumers shift away from meat-based diets, food manufacturers are investigating alternative sources of protein. One focus of recent studies has been the functional plant protein, lupin – a legume related to peanut and soybean. Lupin has a high protein (~40%) and fibre (~40%) content, is low in starch and is gluten free. Despite this functionality, it is currently underutilised by the food industry and it doesn’t currently play a major role in the human diet. Researchers have also been looking into concentrating its protein to produce lupin protein isolate (LPI), which would be an attractive high-protein functional ingredient for the food manufacturing industry. Recent investigations include a study into how supercritical CO2
of LPI, by Ruben Dominguez-Valencia at the Centro Tecnológico de la Carne de Galicia in Spain. The research found that the supercritical CO2
process
increased the purity of LPI, while reducing the oil and other compounds such as saponins, which can impact LPI’s techno-functional properties. The treatment also eliminated lipid fraction and lipophilic pigments – which modify colour – so the result was a more neutral
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ingredient that could be included in food and drink processing. One of the more innovative client requests Separeco has received is to use supercritical CO2 extraction to remove fat from insect powder to obtain a protein-rich environmentally friendly meat substitute. “It might not be nice to think about, but insects are a very rich source of protein, and the process is very well established,” says Destefano. “Being able to extract the oil and fat from the insect powder produces a much purer protein in a nice powder, which can be used to make products such as pasta or fake steak.” Of course, all this innovation comes at a price and the optimisation of extraction parameters to work with different types of materials and compounds requires expertise. This could be a barrier for manufacturers who want to take the process in-house. “This method involves complex thermodynamics so it’s easy to make mistakes,” says Stefano. “But automating processes can boost effectiveness and enhance productivity by using more cycles to decrease the cost.”
Bringing processes in-house requires initial investment in specialised equipment, which can be a barrier for smaller manufacturers. “The first step is to assess the scale of the production system and understand how the cost will impact production. In general, having bigger systems will reduce the cost but there are exceptions. Some customers producing perfumes, for example, can afford a smaller scale of production. But the food industry probably needs to work on a big scale to make it economically viable,” says Destefano. Schonemann highlighted the fact that many manufacturers will have an existing infrastructure up and running that is designed for large-scale extraction with traditional solvents. “If you have a facility already running, why change it? However, if you’re bringing on a new facility there’s a possibility to create a CO2
plant rather than recreating a 1950s-style plant.” The low price of CO2
as a raw material, compared can be used to improve the purity
with solvents, is another benefit. “It’s cheaper to purchase than hexane or ethanol and, if you put the right engineering controls in place, it can be repurposed,” says Schonemann. “So, if you remove the cost of equipment and depreciation, the operating costs is as little as solvent extraction or less.” Unsurprisingly, Stefano believes the processes’ advantages over traditional techniques are so great they make investment worthwhile. And he says more cost- effective extraction systems are being developed for the future. This could be a sign of the way the industry is moving and pressure from consumers and regulators could eventually force manufacturers to adapt. “As regulation become stricter on the level of natural extracts permitted in our products and the consumer becomes more educated, the market will continue to move away from solvent extraction and demand CO2 extraction,” predicts Schonemann. ●
Ingredients Insight /
www.ingredients-insight.com
extraction
Pixel-Shot/
Shutterstock.com
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