A microfluidic system is introduced which allows the observation of mechanisms taking place during the supercritical fluid extraction of emulsions (SFEE). The system combines good optical access, high-pressure resistance and homogeneous operation conditions. It is thus ideally suited to visualize processes of multi-phase systems at elevated pressures. Practical explanations are given for the installation of such a system and illustrative results are presented for the generation and extraction of emulsions in the SFEE process. This study aims to provide a strategy to investigate mass transport and mixing mechanisms in multi-phase systems at elevated pressures. For production purposes, a higher throughput would be required. (c) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.