Antioxidant activity of Spirulina platensis extracts by supercritical carbon dioxide extraction

Supercritical CO2 extraction of antioxidants from Spirulina platensis was optimized using response surface methodology. About 10.26 g/kg of extracts from S. platensis could be obtained under the optimum conditions of 48 degrees C at 20 MPa over a 4 h period. The antioxidant activity of the extracts prepared under the optimized condition, determined by linoleic acid peroxidation inhibition method, was lower compared with BHT and Trolox, but significantly higher than alpha-tocopherol in 300 min and became similar to alpha-tocopherol after that. The components of the extracts were further analyzed, and the results showed that the extracts contained 85.1 g/kg of flavonoids, 77.8 g/kg of beta-carotene, 113.2 g/kg of vitamin A and 3.4 g/kg of alpha-tocopherol, which may contribute greatly to their high antioxidant activity. The main fatty acids in the extracts were palmitic acid (35.32%), linolenic acid (21.66%) and linoleic acid (20.58%). (c) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.