CO2 extraction is a common method for extracting compounds from Cordyceps, a type of fungi with various medicinal properties. The following is a general outline of the process for CO2 extraction of Cordyceps:

1. Dry and grinding of Cordyceps: The Cordyceps material is dried to a suitable moisture content and then ground into a fine powder to increase the surface area and maximize the yield of the extraction.
2. Load into extraction vessel: The ground Cordyceps powder is loaded into an extraction vessel.
3. CO2 extraction: Subrcritical CO2 (liquid co2) is pumped into the extraction vessel and brought into contact with the Cordyceps material. The CO2 dissolves the desired compounds, including polysaccharides and other bioactive compounds, and carries them out of the vessel.
4. Separation and purification: The extracted CO2 and Cordyceps compounds are separated and the CO2 is allowed to evaporate, leaving behind a concentrated extract. The extract can then be further purified and fractionated, if desired, using techniques such as column chromatography or other separation methods.
5. Collection of extract: The purified extract is collected and stored for further use, such as in the production of dietary supplements or other products.

Note that the specific conditions, such as the pressure, temperature, and extraction time, may vary depending on the desired end product and the quality of the Cordyceps material being used. The choice of conditions should be optimized based on the desired outcome and the characteristics of the Cordyceps material.

“The increasing popularity of alternative healthcare has opened new dimensions for extraction of high value-added products from natural sources like medicinal plants and mushrooms. Though conventional extraction techniques like maceration, Soxhlet extraction, hydro-distillation, pressurized liquid extraction, etc. have been adopted for product development, however, certain disadvantages such as high operational energy requirements, use of expensive and toxic organic solvents, disposal concerns of the solvents, lesser selectivity in extraction and loss of volatile compounds have entailed the search for an efficient, environment friendly extraction approach (Malaman et al., 2011). One such approach is CO2 extraction”. (Source: Frontiers in Pharmacology, white paper, attached)