Cold pressing and SFE were applied to separate oil Raspberry from seeds.

What is it about?

Raspberry seeds are currently underutilized by-product of the fruit processing industry. These seeds could be further processed to obtain oil with high quantity of essential ω-3 fatty acid and polyphenol extracts with high content of ellagic acid. Isolated oil and phenolic extracts could be used in various food, cosmetic, and nutraceutical products to increase its nutritive composition and functional properties. Utilization of cold pressing (conventional extraction technique) and supercritical CO2 extraction (novel and green extraction technique) for oil recovery in the same study enables a direct comparison of these techniques and reveals the advantages and disadvantages of supercritical CO2 extraction for potential industrial application.

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Why is it important?

Raspberry seeds are food processing by-product which can be widely used through the valorization of oil and the residue after oil extraction. The results indicated that it is very important to choose the right method for oil extraction to gain the highest yield and optimal content of oil. The CP proved to be the most suitable extraction method due the efficiency and “green chemistry” aspect. This extraction method is the most effective to gain the optimal content of FA, tocopherols in oil, and ellagic acid content in the residue. SFE also has “green chemistry” properties and shows highest functional quality indices, but the lack of SFE in comparison to CP is lower yield. The obtained results show that raspberry seeds are a significant source of oil, which shows very good functional quality indices, and is a good source of valuable ω-3 FA and tocopherols. Furthermore, research shows that the extraction residue contains significant amounts of ellagic acid, which is known for its health beneficial characteristics. These properties make raspberry seeds a promising functional food and nutraceutical ingredient that is valuable for human health.