Preparation and characterization of Coenzyme Q10 powder micronized by a rapid expansion of supercritical solution (RESS) process

Micronized Coenzyme Q(10) (CoQ(10)) is prepared with a rapid expansion of supercritical solution (RESS) process, which does not employ toxic organic solvent. Four factors, namely extraction pressure, extraction temperature, nozzle diameter and precipitation temperature are optimized by a four-level orthogonal array design. The optimum micronization conditions are determined as follows: extraction pressure 25 Mpa, extraction temperature 40 degrees C, nozzle diameter 200 mu m, and precipitation temperature 25 degrees C. Under the optimum conditions, micronized CoQ(10) with a MPS of 147.9 +/- 27.3 nm is obtained. The micronized CoQ(10) obtained was characterized by High performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) and High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analyses. The results showed that RESS micronization process does not induce degradation of CoQ(10) and the obtained CoQ(10) particles have higher dissolution rate and solubility compared with unprocessed CoQ(10) powder.