Extraction of essential oil from the leaves of aranth (Kalanchoe laetviriens) with supercritical CO2.
Supercritical extraction, essential oil, aranto, CO2
The Aranth (Kalanchoe laetviriens) is a succulent plant native to Africa, but has already settled on several continents. Easy to propagate, it has in its composition bioactives as phenolic compounds and bufadienolides. Used as a natural remedy, there is still no unanimity as to its pharmacological efficacy. However, recent studies indicate that its components have anti-inflammatory, antitumor and analgesic activity. In this context, the extraction with supercritical CO2 emerges as an alternative to obtain these components. Since each extraction generates different extracts depending on the selectivity of the solvent, this work seeks to identify the chemical composition of the extract via supercritical extraction with Carbon Dioxide, as well as the extraction yield. The operating conditions of the tests will be developed in the range of 80 to 120 bar of pressure and from 30 to 60°C of temperature, with fixed extraction time and granulometry of the bed previously defined. The characterization of the extract will be by means of Mass Spectroscopy and High Performance Chromatography (HPLC).