Extraction of compounds from plant materials using supercritical fluids

摘要

The present invention is directed toward a process for extracting compounds from plant material, comprisingPPa) contacting hydrolyzed plant material with a supercritical fluid and optionally with a co-solvent and p1 b) recovering the compound from the supercritical fluid.PPIn another embodiment, the present invention is directed toward a process for removing a compound from plant material, comprising contacting the plant material with an acid, a supercritical fluid and a co-solvent, and recovering the compound from the supercritical fluid. The sterols, diosgenin and sarsapogenin, are efficiently extracted from barbasco root and Yucca seed, respectively.