**4. Available technologies to extract, concentrate, and/or purify palm phytochemicals**

Several mechanisms have been developed to extract, fraction, and refine the phytochemicals, which are found in CPO. Such processes include, but are not limited to, extraction with supercritical fluids [121], molecular distillation and crystallization [122], and molecular distillation with prior esterification/transesterification of oil [123]. In general, these technologies are repeatedly used to produce oily extracts rich in squalene, carotenoids, tocopherols, and tocotrienols.

By means of solid-phase extraction and fractionation in polar phase mobile bed, a product right in α-tocotrienol free of other isomers of tocotrienols, tocopherols, and carotenoids was obtained from CPO [124]. Squalene, vitamin E, and phytosterols were fractioned from CPO through a process that included esterification, transesterification, vacuum distillation, saponification, crystallization, and

exclusion of organic solvents stages [125]. On the other hand, the implementation of supercritical fluids was useful in the production of extracts rich in tocochromanols and carotenoids from CPO.

According to several authors, the vitamin complex composed of tocopherols and tocotrienols can be extracted, fractioned, and purified from various biomaterials by using technologies such as solvent extraction (direct extraction [126], Soxhlet extraction [127], and pressurized fluid extraction (PLE) [128]), supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) [129], enzyme extraction [130], extraction with prior chemical modification of the oil's lipidic matrix (saponification [127] and esterification [131]), absorption [132], sequential adsorption-desorption [133], molecular distillation [134], microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) [135], and membrane filtration [136].

On the other hand, some of the most widely implemented methodologies to extract carotenoids from different vegetable materials include processes such as liquid extraction at atmospheric pressure with maceration [137], Soxhlet extraction [138], MAE [139], ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) [140], accelerated solvent extraction (ASE) [141], pulsed electric field-assisted extraction (PEF) and moderate electric field extraction (MEF) [142], SFE [143], complex enzyme-assisted extraction [144], PLE [145], and extraction with green solvents [146]. After an additional separation stage, the analysis of carotenoids has been carried out using instrumental techniques such as high-efficiency liquid chromatography with diode array (HPLC-DAD), thin-layer chromatography, and gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry [147].

Currently, fractions rich in phenolic compounds from biomaterials are obtained by implementing technologies such as solid-liquid extraction (SLE) [148], PLE [149], ASE [150], SFE [151], UAE [152], MAE [153], ultrafiltration (UF) [154], and complex enzyme-assisted extraction [155]. These processes have guaranteed the extraction of phenolic compounds with good yields. Likewise, the purification of these compounds by implementing liquid and solid phases has guaranteed the acquisition of extracts with abundant phenol and polyphenol contents with high levels of purity [156].

Finally, squalene and phytosterols have been extracted from natural sources using supercritical carbon dioxide (CO2) (SFE) [157]. In addition, high levels of these same substances have been found in deodorization distillates during the refining of some vegetable oils, such as palm and olive [158, 159]. Furthermore, the most widely used techniques to quantify the compounds mentioned above include gas chromatography with flame ionization detector (FID) and gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry [72].

## **5. Conclusions**

D × P CPO and O × G CPO Coari × La Mé are natural oils derived from ripe fruits of the African palm *Elaeis guineensis* Jacq., and from one of the interspecific hybrid cultivars between the species *Elaeis oleifera* (Kunth) Cortés and *E. guineensis* Jacq., respectively, with a significant content of tocopherols and tocotrienols, α- and β-carotene, phytosterols, squalene, and phenolic structures that, when incorporated into the human diet in appropriate doses, promote the correct physiological functioning of organisms. According to the various works mentioned in this chapter, the above components are considered biomolecules indispensable for life due to their biological functions and nutritional attributes.

At present, different processes have been developed to extract, recover, and purify the phytochemicals contained in palm oil with good yields and high

*Minor Compounds of Palm Oil: Properties and Potential Applications DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.99526*

concentration values in the extracts obtained as final products. Currently, there is a marked trend toward obtaining phytochemicals from various natural sources by means of green technologies. Furthermore, the number of companies engaged in this work is increasing.

This chapter aims to show the attributes and benefits of including D × P CPO and Coarí × Me O × G CPO in the human diet and seeks to propose them as raw materials to produce functional food rich in phytochemicals of nutritional value.
