ABSTRACT
A synergism exists between the development of healthy foods and the use of critical fluid (CF) technology in their production. This chapter proposes the application of CF technology from the perspective of yielding a “healthful” lipid-containing product. It presents how the proper application of CF in their super- and subcritical states can achieve the following: reduce the toxicity of a lipid extract; adjust beneficially the composition of lipid mixture; enrich nutritionally beneficial ingredients, that is, nutraceuticals; and provide a better lipid delivery technology. Hydrogenation in the presence of supercritical fluid (SF) attracted considerable attention recently for both the production of food and industrial lipid products. The application of SF and similar media for the processing of agricultural or natural products traditionally focused on the extraction mode utilizing CO2. The alteration in lipid content using CF is usually accomplished by employing supercritical fluid fractionation and/or supercritical fluid media, or occasionally supercritical fluid extraction.
