Abstract

ORDONEZ, Andrés F.; ROJAS, Néstor Y.; PARADA, Fabián  and  RODRIGUEZ, Ignacio. Comparative study of caffeine extraction with supercritical CO₂ and ethyl acetate. rev.ing. [online]. 2006, n.24, pp.34-42. ISSN 0121-4993.

This work examines the extraction of caffeine from coffee beans using supercritical CO₂, emphasizing on the practical features of this extraction technology and comparing its results to the Soxhlet etraction method using ethyl acetate. Experiments were designed to study the infl uence of pressure, temperatur and time of extraction, and to determine the best combination among these variables. The laboratoryscale equipment used consisted of a high-pressure extraction reactor fed with liquid CO₂ and pressurized with N2, a heating device and a separation vessel where caffeine was collected. Results indicate that pressure and time are the variables with the highest infl uence on the extraction rate. Yields of 1.6 grams of caffeine per kilogram of green coffee, and 3.53 grams of caffeine per kilogram of green coffee, were reached using supercritical CO₂ and ethyl acetate (Soxhlet) respectively.

Keywords : Extraction; caffeine; supercritical fluids; extraction Soxhlet.

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