Supercritical Fluid Extraction of Natural Products

Dear Colleagues,

In many conventional extraction processes, large amounts of organic solvents are required to recover bioactive compounds from plants, algae, and other natural sources. These solvents not only increase production costs but also raise environmental concerns and health risks due to their toxicity, flammability, and disposal issues. At the same time, growing demand for natural compounds in pharmaceuticals, nutraceuticals, cosmetics, and food products calls for more sustainable and efficient extraction technologies.

Supercritical fluid extraction (SFE), particularly with carbon dioxide, has emerged as a clean and versatile alternative. Operating above the critical temperature and pressure, supercritical fluids combine gas-like diffusivity with liquid-like solvating power. This unique behavior allows selective, rapid, and high-yield recovery of target compounds without the need for harmful solvents. Moreover, the mild operating conditions of CO₂-based SFE help preserve the structural integrity and bioactivity of sensitive natural products, while offering easy solvent removal and potential for process scale-up.

This Special Issue will explore the latest advances in supercritical fluid extraction of natural products, highlighting innovations in process design and optimization. 

Dr. Laura Jūrienė
Prof. Dr. Petras Rimantas Venskutonis
Guest Editors

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