The Study
Supercritical CO2 Extraction vs. Hexane Extraction and Cold Pressing: Comparative Analysis of Seed Oils from Six Plant Species
This study looked at how different ways of squeezing oil from seeds change the chemicals inside the oil — like how much vitamin-like stuff or antioxidants are there. It didn’t test if any of these oils are better for your body, just how they look in a lab test tube.
Analysis score
Maximum 44 for a cross-sectional study.
Where the score came from
Scientists tested three ways to squeeze oil from seeds: using hot gas (CO2), chemicals (hexane), or pressing without heat. They found CO2 pulls out more healthy stuff like phytosterols and squalene without leaving toxic chemicals behind.
Where does this study sit?
Reviews of RCTs (Meta-analyses)
Max 100Randomized Trials
Max 90Reviews of Cohort Studies
Max 85Cohort Studies
Max 72Reviews of Case-Control Studies
Max 63Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional & Case Series
Max 50Expert Opinion
Max 57 / 100
Quality score
Snapshots of a population at a single point in time, or descriptions of small groups. Can identify correlations and prevalence, but cannot determine cause and effect.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1Yes — this means CO2-extracted oils could be more powerful for skin care and supplements because they contain more natural antioxidants.
- 2Pumpkin oil made with CO2 had 4% healthy compounds vs.
- 31.1% from pressing; it also blocked 39–50% of free radicals — much better than other methods.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
Plants
Year
2024
Authors
K. Schoss, N. K. Glavač
Related Content
Claims (6)
Hexane is used to extract oils from plants in food manufacturing and is not required to appear on ingredient labels because regulators classify it as a processing aid.
Supercritical CO2 extraction, cold pressing, and hexane extraction result in seed oils with the same fatty acid profiles, meaning none of these methods changes the core nutritional composition of the triglycerides more than the others.
Oils extracted from pumpkin, marigold, flax, and linden seeds using supercritical CO2 contain more bioactive compounds like phytosterols and squalene than oils extracted by cold pressing or hexane, making them more potent for use in cosmetics and nutrition.
Supercritical CO2 extraction produces pumpkin seed oil with a higher concentration of phytosterols than cold pressing or hexane extraction, with the C-V3 fraction containing 4.0% unsaponifiable matter compared to 1.1% in cold-pressed oil.
Pumpkin seed oil extract contains compounds called squalene and cycloartenol that remove 39–50% of free radicals in laboratory tests, and this antioxidant effect is stronger than that of other seed oils tested under the same conditions.
Supercritical CO2 extraction separates seed oils into specific chemical layers, enabling the isolation of squalene and γ-tocopherol in later layers, a result not achieved by cold pressing or hexane extraction.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.