Supercritical carbon dioxide extraction of red cypress sawdust: A comparison of solvent extraction vs steam distillation methods

By using a supercritical carbon dioxide extraction (SFE-CO2) technique. We extracted several fragrances from red cypress sawdust under a condition of 3500 psi and 35 degrees C. The extracts were then analyzed by a gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). After a Wiley mass spectrum library search, We identified most of the major peaks in the GC/MS total ion chromatogram, which are borneol, myrtenol, beta-elemene, beta-selinene, S-cadinene, and alpha-pinene, etc. for a total of 26 different compounds. In comparison with n-hexane extraction, ether extraction, steam distillation, and head space sampling techniques, we concluded that(1) the polarity of CO2 under the condition of 3500 psi and 35 degrees C is between ether and water; and(2) most of the fragrances in the cypress sawdust are polar compounds.