SCCO2 extraction and Bligh and Dyer method conditions affected the fatty acid content. The
supercritical extraction at lower pressure, more saturated fatty acids was extracted. As pressures and
densities of fluid increased, the amount of unsaturated compounds and degree of unsaturation increased.
This indicated that as pressure, triglycerides containing more unsaturated fatty acids were soluble at
higher densities. The optimum conditions for SCCO2 extraction from Botryococcus braunii studied
seemed to be at 250 bar and 50ºC.
Both methods have been shown to be comparable on the theoretical process yield and the fatty acid
composition of the extracts, the conventional extraction process showed to be slightly faster. Although
both solvents gave process yields lower than expected, probably as a result of some losses in the most
polar lipid fractions.