Vanilla extract, a cherished elixir in the culinary world, embodies a journey of craftsmanship and tradition that stretches back centuries. Derived from the plump, aromatic vanilla beans of the Vanilla planifolia orchid, this liquid essence is synonymous with exotic locales where the orchids thrive in the rich, fertile soil under the tropical sun. The process of transforming these humble beans into the prized extract is a labor of love and expertise passed down through generations. From the moment of harvesting, where each pod is carefully selected at its peak ripeness, to the intricate curing process that follows, vanilla extract production is a meticulous art form.
OUR VANILLA EXTRACTION PROCESS & ADVANTAGES:
Supercritical Fluid Extraction (SFE) is a separation process that uses supercritical fluids, typically supercritical carbon dioxide (SCO₂), to extract compounds from various materials. This process offers several advantages, which make the application of supercritical fluid extraction a popular choice for extracting vanilla. Supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) has become one of the most popular green extraction techniques nowadays since it has demonstrated many advantages compared with traditional or classical extraction processes.
Supercritical Carbon Dioxide (SCO₂) has been proven to be an effective solvent and liquid extraction medium with the added benefit of having environmentally friendly attributes. Carbon Dioxide is abundant, reusable and non-toxic, and it reaches a supercritical point at an easily controlled temperature and pressure.
Our state of the art facility using the most modern PLC based technology with SCADA has 03 extractors each of 1000 liters capacity and a 1500 liters capacity column for continuous extraction process. Our production capacity is 150 liters per day and our product has the below advantages:
Minimal Residue: Supercritical CO₂ leaves behind virtually no residue because it undergoes a phase change from a supercritical fluid to a gas at ambient conditions. This property ensures that the extracted compounds remain pure, free from any residual solvents or impurities. Purity is crucial in pharmaceutical, cosmetic and food applications.
Non-Toxic and Environmentally Friendly: CO₂ is a non-toxic and non-flammable. Plus, it is widely recognized as safe for use in various industries, including food and pharmaceuticals. The application of CO₂ extraction for essential oils reduces the environmental and health risks associated with hazardous organic solvents such as hexane or ethanol, making it a safer and more environmentally friendly choice.
Low Operating Temperatures: The low critical temperature of carbon dioxide (31.1 deg-C) is a key advantage in SFE. This prevents the thermal degradation of temperature-sensitive compounds. For instance, essential oils and certain flavors are highly sensitive to temperature.
High Yield Efficiency: SFE is known for its efficiency in extracting compounds. It can achieve high extraction yields in a relatively short time, reducing both processing time and energy consumption compared to traditional methods.
Product Quality: SFE’s selective and gentle extraction process often results in higher-quality extracts. It helps preserve the natural characteristics, flavor, aroma, and bioactivity of the extracted compounds. This is crucial in industries where product quality is a top priority, such as gourmet food, herbal supplements, and high-end cosmetics.
Consistency: SFE provides exceptional batch-to-batch consistency in product quality. The ability to precisely control parameters such as pressure and temperature ensures that each spice oil extraction is highly reproducible. This is of paramount importance in industries like pharmaceuticals and cosmetics, where maintaining consistent product quality is critical for regulatory compliance and consumer trust.
Potential for Fractionation: SFE can be used for fractionation, which is the separation of different compounds within the same source material based on their solubility characteristics in supercritical CO₂. This ability is particularly valuable in industries such as natural product extraction and flavor and fragrance production, where obtaining pure fractions of specific compounds is essential.
High Concentration: Vanilla oil extracted using SFE is highly concentrated with a minimum of 17% vanillin which makes it easy to transport saving significant transportation cost, requires less storage area and can be easily blended for any low vanillin purposes.
Color: Vanilla oil obtained by SFE is very light (pale yellow) in color compared to the dark shades achieved using traditional extraction process makes it an ideal choice to be used in food industry, cosmetic industry and perfumes.