Articles are regularly published on our website dealing with certain specific issues of the use of CO2 extracts in the manufacture of a variety of end products, and over time we have found that behind the wealth of details, the most important ones are no longer perceived meaningfully by many visitors – such as what CO2 extracts actually are, how they are produced, what properties they have, where and how they are used. Information on this topic abounds on the site, but it is represented by older articles, which over time have been overshadowed by newer updates – as practice shows, visitors are more likely to read and study new articles than old ones, even if the information in them isn’t outdated.
In order to rectify this situation, we have decided to publish a small series of new articles under the general heading “in short, the most important”, which concisely covers the most basic and important points regarding CO2 extracts and the most common cases of their use. All articles in this series share a common tag for easy search, as well as graphical representations that you can use to get the point across to your partners or senior management if needed.
CO2 extracts are a balanced complex of natural lipophilic (fat-soluble) compounds obtained from plant materials by high-pressure, low-temperature extraction with liquefied carbon dioxide (CO2 gas). Due to the combination of these two factors, the extraction matrix within the CO2 extraction method turns out to be deep and intact – in fact, the CO2 extract is a complete recreation of all the main properties of the starting material (taste, smell, beneficial properties), in a form that is relevant for further use is more convenient.
CO2 extracts are easy to use and technologically advanced – in most cases it is sufficient to simply add them to the volume of the prepared product and mix thoroughly. In some cases it is necessary to allow the finished product to stand for some time to allow the flavor and smell of the ingredient to fully develop. To work with CO2 extracts does not require specially trained personnel or special equipment – this ingredient can be easily inserted into any technological chain existing at the enterprise. In terms of ease of use, CO2 extracts are in no way inferior to other ingredients familiar to technologists, including synthetic ones.
Another notable quality of CO2 extracts from a food manufacturing perspective is their complete sterility, which means there is no increase in microbiological risks to the final product. In addition, due to the complexes of natural preservatives and antioxidants they contain, CO2 extracts can, within certain limits, even improve the microbiological stability of the manufactured product and its other properties (especially the organoleptic ones). These limits are not very broad as, at typical levels of CO2 extracts in the final product, they are simply insufficient to function as a full preservative, but still provide certain additional improvements.
One of the technological steps in the production of CO2 extracts is the so-called “explosion” of raw materials, which means a sharp depressurization in the container, accompanied by a rapid transition from liquefied CO2 gas back to a gaseous state. An “explosion” is necessary to break the cell walls and facilitate the washing out of extractable substances, but it also solves the problem of additional reduction in bacteriological contamination – after all, not only the cell walls “explode”, but also all the harmful microorganisms present in the raw material. And not only them, but even their spores, which additionally sterilize the ingredient and give both it and products based on it long-term microbiological stability.
With all their remarkable properties, CO2 extracts are very unpretentious to storage conditions. You can store them in an ordinary closet at room temperature, as well as in any warehouse with temperatures above zero – specially equipped rooms are not required. The only condition that should be observed is to avoid direct sunlight on the extract. At the same time, the shelf life of CO2 extracts is very long – two years according to the quality certificate, in practice even longer.
In addition, it is worth noting that CO2 extracts are very compact and do not take up much space in storage. Typical application quantities are in the order of 50 grams per ton of finished product, so that the ingredient does not take up much space even with very high production quantities. This compactness is achieved due to the precise choice of extraction parameters, in which only the necessary substances responsible for taste, smell and useful properties get into the extract. And all ballast and low-value compounds (waxes, resins, paraffins) remain in the grist. In fact, of all the types of extracts available, CO2 extracts represent the purest and most concentrated form of the most valuable and beneficial properties of plant raw materials.
Due to the purity and completeness of the extraction matrix, CO2 extracts most completely and vividly transfer the taste and smell of the starting material to the final product – in this parameter they perform better compared to competing extract types (including essential oils, hydroalcoholic extracts and oleoresins), respectively suffering from one or another violation of the aroma matrix, which differently affect the properties of the final product.
The properties of CO2 extracts are stable all year round and they do not exhibit the quality problems typical of the processing of traditional plant substances (deterioration in taste, odor deterioration, mold). But at the same time, CO2 extract, like the plant material itself, is a completely natural product in which there are only natural components – CO2 extract does not contain any preservatives, dyes or even residual solvents (after the completion of the CO2 extraction, the gas is completely eliminated evaporated in the final product).
Due to the natural origin of the ingredient, customers are entitled to claim ‘natural extract’ on the label – all authorizations and supporting documents are on hand and included with the shipment. Also of note is that CO2 extracts are an ideal ingredient for the increasingly popular eco and organic classes of clean label products due to their naturalness and beneficial properties.