Abstract

Lili Xu , Xiaori Zhan *, Zhaowu Zeng *, Rong Chen , Haifeng Li , Tian Xie and Shuling Wang

Supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) is one of the most commonly used extraction techniques in the course of analysis or preparation. It is environmentally friendly and has some advantages over other conventional extraction methods. This review covers the recent developments of SFE in the extraction of essential oils from the plant materials during the period 2005 to 2011, in particular some factors influencing SFE extraction yield, its characteristics and applications.