Innovative supercritical CO2 extraction of lycopene from tomato in the presence of vegetable oil as co-solvent

This work describes an innovative process for the extraction of lycopene from tomato using supercritical carbon dioxide in the presence of vegetable oil as co-solvent. The presence of the co-solvent improves the yields of the lycopene extract and has a beneficial role in the stability of the pigment. A complete description of the extraction process is also reported. The experiments carried out with and without co-solvent at pressures and temperatures ranging from 335 to 450 bar and 45 to 70 °C, respectively, bar have shown that the amount of the extractable lycopene depends on the experimental conditions. Also, the maximum amount of the extractable lycopene from dried tomato (6% of moisture, average particle size of about 1 mm), at 450 bar and 66 °C in the presence of co-solvent and utilizing a flow rate of about 20 kg CO2/h, was 60%. The extracts were analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography and UV–vis spectra.