History of development

Any plant contains a set of biologically active substances in some composition and quantity. There are different methods of drawing them out. Extraction is made by volatile solvents. Maceration is made by nonvolatile solvents (alcohol), enfleurage is a sorption method (with oils). Each method has its own advantages and disadvantages. The idea of the CO2-technology consists in extraction of molecules of different substances from the medicinal and aromatic plants by a non-polar solvent – a liquid carbon dioxide. The CO2- extraction technology allows to keep thermo- and oxylabile substances in the extraction product that is provided with low-temperature regimes of the product processing and extraction in the inert gas environment. The CO2- extraction technology is an ecologically pure process, because it uses a liquid nutritional carbon dioxide as a solvent. The selectivity and high diffusion capacities of the liquid carbon dioxide allows regulation of the characteristics and composition of the obtained CO2 extracts and are the advantages of this technology. Extracts are ready and original products that do not require additional processing. Along with the volatile components, which are traditionally denoted as “essential oils”, they contain nonvolatile fraction that consist of lipovitamins, hormonal waxes, bitter substances etc. Aromatic, flavouring, wax-like, and resinous substances, partially lipoids and a whole group of so-called “biologically active compounds” are among the complexes of the compounds that are extracted from vegetable raw materials with liquid carbon dioxide. The group of biologically active compounds consist of liposoluble vitamins and provitamins, hormonal substances, phytoncides (that represent a large group of vegetable antibiotics), antioxidizers, bactiricide and bacteriostatic compounds and their complexes. The group of liposoluble biologically active compounds is rather large and is represented by vitamins and provitamins E, F, D, K, and carotinoids in CO2 extracts. These are vegetable biocatalizators. Most of the herbal medicinal CO2 extracts have the anti-inflammatory, bacteristatic and bactericidal properties. Biologically active compounds that are extracted by CO2 extraction presents in the natural environment, which consist of resins, oils and wax – and this helps them to keep their high activity that gives high effectiveness of the medical application of the CO2 extracts. Action of some individual vitamins is strengthened in combination with others. Alongside with the substances that belong to vitamins many organic compounds: sapogenins, azulenogens, phytohormones show biological activity. Liquid carbon dioxide does not support microorganisms’ living activity and thus, CO2 extracts sterilize themselves. CO2 extracts are compact at storing and transportation and stabile at long storing. Dosage of CO2 extracts in the final product varies from 0,02% up to 1% depending on the type of product. At present, Phyto-Aroma Company manufactures 24 types of extracts, a republic standard is developed and approved for 49 types of extracts. The usage of the CO2 extract in medicine, nutritional and chemical industry is a qualitative leap that helps to obtain a new, ecologically pure product exercising a salutary influence over human organism and having vital powers of the Nature.