Reducing the coumarin content of tonka bean extracts using supercritical CO2

Abstract By supercritical fluid CO2 extraction of tonka beans a lipophilic top phase and a crystalline base phase were obtained. These were analysed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS) and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and compared with an ethanolic extract of the same batch of tonka beans. It was shown that the three samples differed considerably in their composition and that the bulk of the main compound coumarin was present in the base phase of the CO2 extraction.