Apreliminary study was conducted in order to improve the yield
and antioxidant activity of the extracts obtained using CO2 and CO2
plus co-solvents. The effects of different variables on the extraction
process were analyzed by considering the following operating
conditions: pressures of 10 and 40 MPa, temperatures of 35 and
55 ◦C, co-solvent percentages of 0 and 20% and type of co-solvent,
methanol and ethanol. All tests were carried out with a CO2 flow
rate of 20 g/min and an extraction time of 3 h.