The equilibrium solubility of coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) in supercritical carbon dioxide (ScCO2) was measured by a static analytical method in the pressure range from 9 to 26 MPa, at temperatures of 305, 313 and 323 K. The cosolvent effect of ethanol in the solubility of the bioactive compound in ScCO2 has been investigated, at 15 MPa and 313 K. A preliminary study of the viability of extracting CoQ10 with ScCO2 has been investigated at 15 MPa and 313 K, using the content of commercial pharmaceutical capsules as the solid matrix feed. The solubility data results were correlated by use of the empirical density-based Chrastil model. (C) 2003 Published by Elsevier B.V.