Cardamom CO2

Cardamom CO₂ begins with ripe, hand‑picked pods from Elettaria cardamomum. The seeds are dried to a moisture level below 12 % and loaded into a stainless‑steel extractor. Operators raise carbon dioxide above its critical point, reaching 31 °C and 73 bar, where it behaves like a liquid and a gas at once. Under these conditions the CO₂ penetrates cell walls, dissolving aromatic terpenes, aldehydes and esters without breaking heat‑sensitive compounds. The mixture flows into a separator; pressure drops, CO₂ returns to gas, leaving a viscous, amber‑colored extract that retains the fresh, citrus‑spice character of the seed. Because the process runs at low temperature, the extract preserves up to 95 % of the original volatile profile, compared with 70 % in steam distillation. After collection, the extract is filtered, stored in amber glass, and kept at 4 °C to maintain stability.