Supercritical carbon dioxide extraction of oil from Clanis bilineata (Lepidoptera), an edible insect

Abstract

Oil was extracted from the dry meat of Clanis bilineata (Lepidoptera) using supercritical carbon dioxide in a continuous flow extractor. The following optimum extraction conditions were investigated: temperature, 35°C; pressure, 25 MPa; supercritical CO2 flow rate, 20 L/min and time, 60 min. Under these extraction conditions, the oil extraction rate reached up to 97% (w/w). The level of unsaturated fatty acids in the extracted oil was 63.21% (w/w). In addition, the level of linolenic acid, a functional fatty acid, was as high as 37.61% (w/w) of the total fatty acids. Results of the present work indicate that C. bilineata (Lepidoptera) may be a promising oil resource for humans.

Key words: Supercritical CO2, Clanis bilineata, fatty acids, oil.