Application of conventional and high-pressure extraction techniques for the isolation of bioactive compounds from the aerial part of hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) assortment Helena

Abstract

In this work, different extraction techniques (soxhlet extraction, hydrodistillation, subcritical water extraction and supercritical carbon dioxide extraction followed by conventional extraction) were employed for the isolation of bioactive compounds from the areal parts of industrial hemp (Cannabis sativa L.). The extraction process parameters, time and temperature for subcritical water extraction and pressure, temperature and time for supercritical carbon dioxide extraction, on the extraction yield and the content of bioactive compounds from hemp were examined. As the plant material after supercritical carbon dioxide still contains hydrophilic compounds, conventional extraction was used for isolation of these. The content of cannabidiol, the main cannabinoid present in hemp, in supercritical carbon dioxide extracts was between 71.84–163.11 mg/g, while in soxhlet extract it was much lower (64.40 mg/g). In comparison to these the significantly lower cannabidiol content was detected in subcritical water extracts, ranging from 0.0039 to 0.0183 mg/mL. Comparing all applied extraction techniques, supercritical carbon dioxide followed by conventional extraction was selected as the most valuable process for bioactive compounds isolation for hemp.