Objective:Optimized extraction technology of Carum carvi L. essential oil and analyzed the volatile components. Methods:Supercritical carbon dioxide was used to extract essential oil from Carum carvi L. seeds and the volatile components of essential oil were analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Results:The suitable extraction conditions of supercritical carbon dioxide were: temperature of extraction kettle 50 ℃, temperature of separation kettle 40 ℃, pressure of extraction kettle 30 MPa, pressure of separation kettle 0.4 MPa, flow rate of carbon dioxide 20 g/min, extraction time 90 min, extraction yield of essential oil was 4.79%. Compared with simultaneous distillation extraction (SDE), supercritical carbon dioxide required less time and had higher extraction yield by diffusing into the sample particles quickly and dissolving the essential oil components fully without solvent residue. D-limonene (50.96%) and carvone (46.65%) were the main components of the essential oil extracted by supercritical carbon dioxide, and the type and relative content of volatile compounds were both higher than the essential oil obtained by SDE. Conclusion:Compared with SDE, the supercritical carbon dioxide was more suitable for the extraction of Carum carvi L. essential oil.