How is bakuchiol obtained?

Theextraction by solvent is a separation operation of a compound present within a solid raw material through the use of a solvent liquid in which the compound to extract and isolate is soluble. This process follows several steps:

1. The solvent (typically, hexane) and the P. corylifolia L. seed powder are mixed together in a tank

2. The solution is filtered.

3. The solvent is evaporated using a rotary vacuum evaporator to obtain a sticky, brownish dried extract.

Even though this method allows for a high extraction yield, n-hexane remains a polluting and dangerous solvent due to its high flammability. New extraction methods are currently being developed within the cosmetic industry.

In an effort to eliminate the use of harmful solvents such as hexane or methanol, researchers have focused on extracting oil from babchi seeds using supercritical carbon dioxide, followed by further enrichment of bakuchiol through the technique of molecular distillation.

The extraction of compounds using supercritical CO2 dates back to the 1970s. It was then an ecological alternative to the use of traditional extraction solvents, which are often polluting and harmful. CO2 is a gas well-suited for the extraction of plant material due to its purity and non-volatile, non-toxic, and non-polluting properties. Even though this extraction method is very expensive, it provides a high-quality babchi seed vegetable oil (its biochemical composition is almost identical to that of the original seeds). The principle is simple: the plant material is traversed by a flow of carbon dioxide (CO2), which is subjected to low temperature and high pressure. The active molecules of babchi, such as bakuchiol, are then naturally extracted before moving into another chamber. In this new chamber, the temperature and pressure are controlled to separate the babchi actives from the CO2.

The extract obtained by the method described above then undergoes a molecular distillation for the enrichment of bakuchiol. This is a distillation process under high vacuum which allows for the isolation of molecules and therefore bakuchiol.