Use of Immobilised Lipase from Candida antarctica in Supercritical Fluid Extraction of Borage (Borago officinalis L.) Seed Oil

Petras Rimantas Venskutonis¹*, Egidijus Daukšas¹ and Björn Sivik<sup>2

1</sup>Department of Food Technology, Kaunas University of Technology, Radvilėnu pl. 19, LT-50254 Kaunas, Lithuania
²Lund Institute of Technology, P.O. Box 882, SE-25108 Helsingborg, Sweden

Article history:
Received August 26, 2006
Accepted September 28, 2007

Key words:
borage, Candida antarctica, supercritical CO₂ extraction, entrainer

Summary:
This study aims at the investigation of the possibilities to use immobilised lipase from Candida antarctica in supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) of borage (Borago officinalis L.) seed oil. The first series of experiments was performed to measure the extract yields obtained with pure CO₂ and with the added entrainer (ethanol). The yield increased more than twice after increasing the extraction pressure from 15 to 25 MPa. Further increase to 35 MPa was less effective. The effect of the entrainer was not significant in most cases. Palmitic (13.1–16.1 %), oleic (13.4–23.8 %), linoleic (33.8–48.4 %) and linolenic (8.8–16.3 %) acids were dominant in all extracted oils. Further experiments involved the use of enzyme. In this case the first extractor was loaded with ground borage seeds, the second one was filled with the enzyme. The total yield obtained at 15, 25 and 35 MPa was (8.8±0.2), (23.6±0.2) and (28.9±1.1) %, respectively. Thin layer chromatography (TLC) of fatty acid ethyl esters showed that the content of esters was higher in the extract obtained in one extractor system at 15 MPa, compared to 35 MPa.

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