Supercritical Fluid CO₂ Extraction of Essential Oil from Spearmint Leaves Dried by Vacuum Drying with a Desiccant.

ABSTRACT: The essential oil (EO) of Mentha spicata L. (spearmint) exhibits pronounced biological activity, making it valuable for applications in agrochemistry as an insecticidal agent, in perfumery and cosmetics, and as a natural preservative in the food industry. However, maintaining the integrity and yield of EO during post-harvest processing and extraction remains a key technological challenge. This study aimed to enhance the vacuum-drying (VD) process of spearmint using calcium chloride as a desiccant and to optimize the conditions of supercritical CO₂ extraction (SC-CO₂), including EO separation and the evaluation of its solubility under dynamic extraction conditions. The incorporation of calcium chloride into the VD process reduced drying duration by 21.1% and pro

SUBMITTER: Tokpayev R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12840100 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature