Abstract
ABSTRACT This work describes the extraction of lycopene from genetically engineered E. coli using supercritical carbon dioxide. To optimize supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) results for the isolation of lycopene, the factors assessed were the temperature of the extractor (40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90and 100 °C), the pressure of the extraction fluid (250, 300,and 350 bar), addition of cosolvent (0, 0.5, 1.0 and 1.5 mL ethanol), extraction time (30, 60, 90 and 120 min). The results in this research have shown that the amount of the extractable lycopene depends on the experimental conditions. The total amounts of lycopene in the gene modified E. coli, extracts, and residues were determined by HPLC. A maximum of 75.2 % of lycopene was extracted by SC-CO2 in 60min at 80 °C and 350 bar, without the addition ethanol as a cosolvent.