sCO2 - Super Critical Extraction Process

What is the Supercritical CO2 Extraction Process and why do we use it?

Equipment operating under high-pressures and low temperature transforms carbon dioxide (normally a gas at atmospheric pressures) into a fluid with enhanced solvent characteristics. Carbon dioxide has many advantages over other less desirable organic solvents which are traditionally used throughout the natural products industry:

• Results in “pure” isolates
• Low temperature preserves “living” components
• Concentrated – high potency
• Dynamic compression – 100:1, 300:1, 11,000:1
• Non-hazardous (no solvents or chemicals)

1. Carbon Dioxide is non-hazardous and leaves no undesirable solvent residues which means we get a purer active ingredient with no 'taint' in the flavor.
2. Carbon Dioxide extraction is an environmentally friendly process, because no harmful chemical solvents are used to extract the active principles it is a greener solution.
3. Extraction conditions can be controlled for optimal results.
4. Low extraction temperatures preserve product integrity and quality which means this process protects the active ingredients.
5. Carbon Dioxide extracted products exhibit excellent storage stability, since they are stable and pure with less contamination they have a better shelf life, and preserve their activity even within a layered colloidal matrix.

Supercritical or Liquid Carbon Dioxide extraction processes are highly technical processes and are at the forefront of food and herbal extraction technology. Supercritical CO2 Extraction has so many advantages and benefits over conventional solvent-based extraction processes you might wonder why everyone doesn't use it in their natural or herbal products. The simple truth is that Supercritical CO2 Extraction is too expensive a process for run of the mill herbal ingredients and most companies are unwilling to bear the higher than usual raw material costs or are unwilling to market a premium product. They would rather just dry and crush herbs into a powder and fill them into capsules. The sad indictment of our industry is that most products are made 'down to a price' rather than 'up to a standard'. However, the trade-off for Geon was simple: Supercritical CO2 Extraction costs more but delivers a more active, more potent, more effective finished product, so for a company that prides itself on results not hype or wild claims, it was an inevitable choice.