Studies on volatile oil in Ligusticum chuanxiong by supercritical fluid extraction

Objective: To optimize the condition of Supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) for the extraction of volatile oil in Ligusticum chuanxiong Hort. and to compare it with steam distillation in order to enhance the extraction rate. Methods: Five-factor and four-level orthogonal test was used to optimize the SFE conditions. Results: The best extraction conditions were established as following: pressure 34.5 MPa; temperature, 60 °C; static extracting time, 10 min; CO2 extraction volume, 10 ml; modifier, alcohol (0.3 ml). Conclusion: The SFE method demonstrated many advantages, such as short extraction time and high extraction efficiency, etc.