Subcritical butane fluid extraction enhances the quality of sea buckthorn seed oil: A multi-omics comparative study of extraction techniques.

Sea buckthorn seed oil (SBSO) is a valuable edible oil with considerable pharmacological value; however, the impact of extraction techniques on its comprehensive quality profile is not fully understood. This study employed multi-omics approaches to systematically evaluate the effects of solvent extraction, microwave-assisted solvent extraction, supercritical carbon dioxide extraction (SPFE), and subcritical butane extraction (SCFE) on the overall quality of SBSO. SCFE produced oils with the lowest acid (2.30 mg KOH/g) and peroxide (1.63 meq O2/kg) values, the highest polyunsaturated fatty acid content (70.77 %), and markedly reduced fatty acyl levels (0.39-0.52-fold compared to other methods). Moreover, SCFE-derived oils contained higher levels of shikimates and phenylpropanoids (1.03-1.68-fold), and terpenoids (1.15-1.37-fold), and showed superior retention of volatile compounds (126.94 μg/g), especially esters (42.02 μg/g), alcohols (18.49 μg/g), and terpenes (21.80 μg/g). Overall, SCFE yielded high-quality SBSO with enhanced oxidative stability, enriched bioactive metabolites, and a distinctive aroma profile, demonstrating its potential as a green and efficient extraction technology for the production of functional SBSO-derived products.