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Published on: August 16, 2018
Natural compounds obtained through centrifugal molecular distillation
Vanessa Mayumi Ito1, Patricia Fazzio Martins, César Benedito Batistella
1Separation Process Development Laboratory, School of Chemical Engineering, State University of Campinas, PO Box 6066, 13081-970 Campinas, Brazil. vanessa@lopca.feq.unicamp.br
This study demonstrates that molecular distillation can effectively concentrate valuable tocopherols from soybean oil deodorized distillate (SODD) without chemical pre-treatments. Optimizing temperature and flow rate minimizes free fatty acids, enhancing tocopherol yield from this edible oil byproduct.
Area of Science:
- Food Science
- Chemical Engineering
- Biotechnology
Background:
- Soybean oil deodorized distillate (SODD) contains valuable unsaponifiable materials like tocopherols.
- Current methods for tocopherol recovery often involve chemical reactions, which are unsuitable for natural products.
- Molecular distillation offers a solvent-free, low-temperature method for concentrating compounds.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the sole use of molecular distillation for recovering tocopherols from SODD.
- To maximize tocopherol concentration by removing free fatty acids (FFA) without adding chemicals.
- To establish optimal operating conditions for tocopherol recovery from SODD.
Main Methods:
- Utilized molecular distillation for separating tocopherols from SODD.
- Conducted experiments within a temperature range of 140-220°C.
- Varied feed flow rates between 5-15 g/min to assess their impact on FFA and tocopherol levels.
Main Results:
- Achieved higher concentrations of tocopherols by effectively removing free fatty acids (FFA).
- Observed increased FFA percentage in the distillate at lower feed flow rates and evaporator temperatures.
- Demonstrated that molecular distillation alone can yield concentrated tocopherols, avoiding thermal decomposition.
Conclusions:
- Molecular distillation is a viable, chemical-free technique for concentrating tocopherols from SODD.
- Low feed flow rates and temperatures are beneficial for maximizing FFA removal and tocopherol concentration.
- This method enhances the value of soybean oil byproducts for natural product recovery.
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