Extraction of phospholipids from scallop by-product using supercritical CO2/alcohol mixtures

Abstract The objective was to produce phospholipid-enriched extracts from a new fishery by-product (scallop wastes) using supercritical fluid technology. A two-step fractionation scheme was used to improve the extraction selectivity by first deoiling the dried material by neat CO 2 and secondly extracting phospholipids by CO 2 plus ethanol. During this step, extracts were collected and quantified for their content in total lipids (by Folch extraction), phospholipids (by phosphorus nuclear magnetic resonance) and non-lipid components (by gravimetry). The influence of temperature (27–60 °C) and extracting fluid composition (15:85 to 50:50 w:w ethanol:CO 2 ) on extraction kinetic and extract composition was analyzed. Propanol-2 was attempted as co-solvent as well. With ethanol, the highest content in phospholipids (58 g/100 g of extract) was obtained at 45 °C and 15 wt% of co-solvent, whereas propanol-2 was far more selective and led to an extract with a purity of 90 g/100 g of extract in phospholipids in conditions of 27 °C and 50 wt% of co-solvent. Compared to pure ethanol or conventional choroform:methanol extractions, CO 2 -based mixtures allowed for recovering extracts of phospholipids content higher than 35 g/100 g of lipids. Besides phosphatidylcholine, ether glycerophospholipids and phosphonolipids were detected in samples as well.