Cold-Pressed versus CO2 Extracted? What you need to know
The same seed, different extraction methods, two very different results. Can you work out which raspberry seed oil was cold pressed and which was extracted by CO2?
Both Supercritical CO2 extraction and Cold pressing are environmentally friendly as they don’t use petrochemical solvents such as Hexane or Ethanol in the extraction process, thus don’t generate pollution or waste.
There are however some very big differences in the extracts produced. Here is what you need to know
Supercritical C02 Extraction uses natural carbon dioxide gas which under high pressure changes from gas to liquid, thereby becoming a highly efficient extractor.
CO2 allows for near 100% extraction of oil and nutrients including those that give plants their colour and scent, CO2 extracts are therefore vibrant in colour and thick and waxy in consistency
Because the extraction is performed in an oxygen free system, molecules that are sensitive to oxidation are preserved, and the resulting extract is highly active
CO2 extracts have the highest purity of bioactive substances
CO2 extracts are free from microbes, contaminants, heavy metals or solvent residue
While Cold pressing is environmentally friendly as it uses mechanical force, instead of solvents, it does have some limitations;
Cold pressed Oils are associated with incomplete extraction and thus loss of valuable plant matter and lower oil yield.
Oils are extracted in the presence of oxygen thus some sensitive molecules may undergo oxidation and radical damage
Filtration process removes some of the beneficial elements of seed oils