Fragrance extraction

Abstract

An improved process for extracting an organic component, including fragrant, flavorsome or pharmacologically active components, from an organic material of natural origin using tetrafluoroethane in the liquid phase as the solvent. The process essentially includes contacting the organic material with the tetrafluoroethane in its liquid phase, charging thereby the tetrafluoroethane with the organic component, collecting the mixture thereof, and removing the tetrafluoroethane therefrom so as to isolate the organic component. The process allows the more volatile components of plant derived materials, frequently lost by conventional methods of extraction, also to be extracted. The extracted components, as a result, bear a greater similarity to, and possess a larger number of the characteristics of the original material than conventionally obtained extracts.

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