SUPERCRITICAL EXTRACTION OF FAT FROM PHOSPHOLIPID BIOMEMBRANE STRUCTURES

The objective of our work was to examine the supercritical-fluid extra ction of fat from model biomembrane structures. Data are reported for supercritical carbon dioxide extraction of crude phosphatidylethanolam ine, mixed phosphatidylethanolamine + tripalmitin, and phosphatidyleth anolamine + tripalmitin model biomembrane structures at 313 K and 15.2 MPa. Extraction of the tripalmitin. from the structures was inhibited for the case of high phospholipid/tripalmitin ratios. No inhibition w as observed for the case of low phospholipid/tripalmitin ratios. Extra ction of tripalmitin from phospholipid/tripalmitin mixtures, not struc tures, was comparable to extractions of pure tripalmitin. Our experime ntal results indicate that pure fat solubility in supercritical carbon dioxide is insufficient for describing the limiting fat extraction fr om model biomembranes.