SFEE

Supercritical Fluid Extraction of Emulsions (SFEE)

An emulsion is prepared with an extract dissolved in a nonpolar solvent as disperse phase, water as continuous phase, and a polymer that can act as surfactant. A supercritical fluid extracts the solvent from the disperse phase, causing the precipitation of the target compound with the polymer, which particles remain suspended on the aqueous phase. Therefore, the size of the produced particles can be controlled through the monitoring of the droplet size in the emulsion. Because of the nature of this process, SFEE is recommended to obtain particles of compounds that are insoluble or poorly soluble in water.