A crystalline pigment or colorant composition having high color intensity and/or low sugar content, and methods and processes of preparation. The composition may comprise purified fruit and/or vegetable color juices.

Provided is a supercritical fluid chromatography system, and components comprising such a system, including one or more of a supercritical fluid chiller, a supercritical fluid pressure-equalizing vessel, and a supercritical fluid cyclonic separator. The supercritical fluid chiller and the use of the chiller allow efficient and consistent pumping of liquid-phase gases employing off-the-shelf HPLC pumps in the supercritical chromatography system using liquid-phase gas mobile phase. The pressure equalizing vessel allows the use of off the shelf HPLC column cartridges in the supercritical chromatography system. The cyclonic separator efficiently and effectively allows for separation of sample molecules from a liquid phase or gas phase stream of a supercritical fluid.

A separation method and a separation apparatus for a solvent extracted by supercritical extraction. The separation method increases a solvent recovery rate by minimizing the amount of a solvent to be evaporated and lost since the pressure of a solvent is reduced by arranging two or more separators in series. The method includes: introducing a fluid having passed through a supercritical extractor into a first flash vessel; introducing the fluid which has passed through the first flash vessel into a second flash vessel; and discharging and recovering the carbon dioxide and the solvent which have passed through the second flash vessel, respectively. The pressure of the first flash vessel is 40-100 bar, and the pressure of the second flash vessel is 1-30 bar. The fluid includes carbon dioxide and a solvent.

A dual phase re-circulating extraction apparatus comprises at least one extraction vessel, at least one separation chamber, and a circulation conduit configured to direct a process fluid into the extraction vessel, where it may come into contact with a source material to form a mixture, and is then passed to the separation chamber, where the process fluid separates from the extracted material, and the process fluid is recirculated back to the extraction vessel. The apparatus includes a gas pump, at least one heat exchanger, and a liquid pump, each connected to the conduit, to efficiently convert a relatively low pressure gas after separation to a relatively high pressure liquid or supercritical fluid for extraction. The apparatus can be configured to enable a batch mode process allowing continuous flow to the separators while the extractors are cycled online and offline in a sequence to enable servicing and reloading.

A system and method for removing residual glutaraldehyde from a natural polymer scaffold crosslinked with glutaraldehyde is provided. The system includes a cleaning solution comprising carbon dioxide and one or more polar solvents and an environmental chamber that can include and a treatment chamber. The environmental chamber is maintained at a temperature greater than 31.1 C. and the carbon dioxide is maintained at a pressure greater than 7.38 megapascals to form supercritical carbon dioxide. A crosslinked natural polymer scaffold treated via the glutaraldehyde removal system and method can have a glutaraldehyde content of less than about 3 parts per million. A crosslinked natural polymer scaffold cleaning solution comprising supercritical carbon dioxide and one or more polar solvents is also provided.

An extraction system and method of extraction are described herein. The extraction system generally includes an extraction vessel including a vessel body, an extraction solvent inlet, a material inlet, and an outlet, a collection vessel operably connected to the outlet, a dispersion devise disposed proximate the extraction solvent inlet and including a first surface and a second surface, a plurality of openings formed in the dispersion device and extending from the first surface to the second surface, whereby the plurality of openings are adapted for the flow of an extraction solvent therethrough.

The present disclosure relates, according to disclosed embodiments, to a system for extracting an organic compound from a natural source, the system comprising a computer processor operational to control the system; a storage vessel configured to store an extraction gas, the storage vessel comprising a storage vessel outlet in electrical communication with the computer processor; a valve in electrical communication with the computer processor, the valve comprising a valve inlet and a valve outlet, wherein the valve inlet connects to the storage vessel outlet; a dynamic extraction vessel; and a spray evaporation loop system configured to receive a solute from the dynamic extraction vessel, the spray evaporation loop system comprising an injection nozzle in electrical communication with the computer processor, the injection nozzle comprising an injection nozzle inlet connected to the first dynamic extraction vessel outlet; and a cyclonic separator in electrical communication with the computer processor.

An example method for extracting phytochemical oil from plant parts includes freezing plant parts from at least one of Cannabis sativa, Curcuma longa, Panax ginseng, and Panax quinquefolius. The frozen plant parts are reduced to a plant powder, which is suspended in an aqueous buffer. The aqueous buffer containing the suspended plant powder is incubated with at least one pectinase and at least one cellulose. An aqueous phase of the incubated aqueous buffer is evaporated through steam heating to obtain a steam dried product. Phytochemical oil, which includes at least one of cannabinoids, curcuminoids, and ginsenosides, is extracted from the steam dried product.

A supercritical water separation process and system is disclosed for the removal of metals, minerals, particulate, asphaltenes, and resins from a contaminated organic material. The present invention takes advantage of the physical and chemical properties of supercritical water to effect the desired separation of contaminants from organic materials and permit scale-up. At a temperature and pressure above the critical point of water (374 C., 22.1 MPa), nonpolar organic compounds become miscible in supercritical water (SCW) and polar compounds and asphaltenes become immiscible. The process and system disclosed continuously separates immiscible contaminants and solids from the supercritical water and clean oil product solution. The present invention creates a density gradient that enables over 95% recovery of clean oil and over 99% reduction of contaminants such as asphaltenes and particulate matter depending on the properties of the contaminated organic material.

Disclosed is a method for extracting one or more chemical extracts from a plant product. The chemical extracts are purified and extracted by first separating at least a phytochemical bearing part of a plant product from one or more other portions of the plant product. A carrier oil is then heated at a target temperature to be used as the vehicle for extraction and then mixed with the at least a phytochemical bearing part while the target temperature is maintained. The process may be streamlined by having heating and mixing occur in a press device. The mixed carrier oil and the at least a phytochemical bearing part are then passed through the press device to produce an oil mixture. At least a chemical extract may be extracted from the oil mixture, and in some cases may be further purified by evaporation and/or centrifugation.