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This study assesses, qualitatively and quantitatively, the performance of ten bio-based solvents to replace hexane for the extraction of oil from Pistacia lentiscus edible fruits. Solvent screening was achieved through theoretical approach using the COnductor-like Screening MOdel for Realistic Solvation (COSMO-RS) predictions and an experimental protocol based on GC-FID and HPTLC analysis. Unsupervised multivariate analyses were performed on GC-FID and HPTLC data. Experiments corroborated theoretical predictions indicating that MeTHF was the best alternative solvent to replace hexane. Moreover, the obtained extract exhibited a good anti-inflammatory activity, inhibiting by 91.9% NO release in RAW 264.7 macrophages. These findings highlighted the potential of green solvents especially MeTHF in lipid extraction and exhibited that P. lentiscus oil presents a potential anti-inflammatory property and great nutritional value, notably high amount of oleic and linoleic acid, thus encouraging its valorization in food, cosmetic or pharmaceutical industry.

This study investigates the performance of cyclopentyl methyl ether (CPME) in the extraction of fenugreek seed oil, aiming to replace the conventionally used hexane. The efficiency of this alternative solvent was evaluated first through in silico methods (based on Hansen Solubility Parameters (HSPs) and Conductor-like Screening Model for Real Solvent (COSMO-RS) simulations), followed by experimental studies. Solubility computational predictions analysis revealed that CPME exhibits superior solvation power compared to hexane. Experimentally, CPME demonstrated a significantly higher oil yield (7.23%) compared to hexane (4.25%) and a better retention of beneficial unsaturated fatty acids than hexane. Additionally, the physicochemical properties of oils extracted with CPME showed enhanced oxidative stability, sterol, tocopherol, and phenolic contents, leading to superior antioxidant and antibacterial activities. Importantly, CPME's low volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions further establish it as a more sustainable and environmentally friendly alternative to hexane, aligning with contemporary goals of reducing harmful emissions in extraction processes. Thus, this paper highlights the functional advantages of CPME, focusing on its efficiency, selectivity, and enhanced retention of bioactive compounds, positioning it as a superior extraction solvent for fenugreek seed oil compared to hexane.

The present study aimed to investigate the qualitative and quantitative performance of five green solvents, namely 2-methyltetrahydrofuran (MeTHF), cyclopentyl methyl ether (CPME), p -cymene, d -limonene and ethanol to substitute n -hexane, for sesame seed oil extraction. In fact, both CPME and MeTHF gave higher crude yields than n -hexane (58.82, 54.91 and 50.84%, respectively). The fatty acid profile of the sesame seed oils remained constant across all the solvent systems, with a predominance of oleic acid (39.27-44.35%) and linoleic acid (38.88-43.99%). The total sterols gained the upmost amount with CPME (785 mg/100 g oil) and MeTHF (641 mg/100 g oil). CPME and MeTHF were also characterized by the optimum content of tocopherols (52.3 and 50.6 mg/100 g oil, respectively). The highest contents of total phenols in the sesame seed oils were extracted by CPME (23.51 mg GAE/g) and MeTHF (22.53 mg GAE/g) as compared to the other solvents, especially n -hexane (8 mg GAE/g). Additionally, sesame seed oils extracted by MeTHF and CPME also had the highest antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties as compared to the other green solvents and n -hexane, encouraging their manufacturing use for sesame seed oil extraction.