Supercritical carbon dioxide (SC-CO2) was employed to extract oil from hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) seeds.
For ground seeds, the supercritical extraction was carried out at temperatures of 40, 60 and 80 ◦C and
pressures of 300 and 400 bar. Different solvent-ratios were applied. Supercritical CO2 extractions were
compared with a conventional technique, n-hexane in Soxhlet. The extraction yields, fatty acid composition
of the oil and oxidation stability were determined. The seed samples used in this work contained
81% PUFAs, of which 59.6% was linoleic acid (-6), 3.4% -linolenic (-3), and 18% -linolenic (-6). The
highest oil yield from seeds was 22%, corresponding to 72% recovery, at 300 bar and 40 ◦C and at 400 bar
and 80 ◦C. The highest oxidation stability corresponding to 2.16mMEq Vit E was obtained at 300 bar and
80 ◦C.
