Pharmaceutical and Nutraceutical Applications of Supercritical Carbon Dioxide

The main objective of this chapter is to review and highlight the main applications of Supercritical Carbon Dioxide (SCO2) techniques in several fields such as food science, pharmaceuticals, chemical residues, biofuel, and polymers. In particular supercritical processes such as particle design, impregnation and extraction processes will be investigated. Supercritical Fluid Particle Design (SCFPD), through different processes, allows to increase the solubility and dissolution rate of poorly water-soluble drugs and to improve the molecular properties of Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (API) and Drug Delivery System (DDS). The chapter will be focused on the most recent developments of these processes covering the fundamental concept of SCO2 and the principle of SCFPD processes that are typically used to control both particle size and polymorphic form of the treated substances. Extraction with supercritical fluids arises in the last three decades as a promising alternative to conventional analytical methods for lipid extraction, and currently has consolidated its application in extraction processes of raw materials of plant and animal origin. Its advantages, over conventional techniques, are many and well known, but this technology stands out mainly by environmental factors and products quality. The aspects related to the use of SCO2 for extraction and fractionation of lipids, with special emphasis in triglycerols and fatty acids (in particular Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids –PUFA) will be investigated. A brief overview on the separation procedures involving supercritical technology, as supercritical fluid chromatography, will be also presented.