Cannabigerol Extraction from a Cannabis Cultivar Using a Supercritical Carbon Dioxide Process

To attempt a selective extraction from a cannabigerol (CBG)-rich Cannabis cultivar, supercritical fluid extraction was tried, operating at 18 MPa and 40 degrees C. In the first set of experiments, a fractional extraction scheme was used to favor the separation between the cannabinoid extract and paraffinic waxes: global and CBG yields were equal to 4.8 % and 3.8 % w/w, respectively, leading to an overall CBG concentration in the extract up to 79 %. However, GC-MS traces showed that CBG also tended to precipitate in the refrigerated separator together with paraffinic waxes, due to CBG steric configuration that is very similar to the one of paraffins. Therefore, non-fractional extraction experiments were selected, by-passing the refrigerated separator. Operating in this manner, a selective extraction was obtained with improved global and CBG yields up to 5.3 % and 4.4 % w/w, respectively, and a CBG concentration of 83 % in the extract.