Extraction kinetics and quality evaluation of oil extracted from bitter gourd (Momardica charantia L.) seeds using emergent technologies

Abstract

It's a well-known fact that bitter gourd seed oil is a rich source of α-eleostearic acid that have positive effects on breast cancer, diabetes and coronary artery diseases. The conventional methods of oil extraction often lead to a lower yield and consumes more time. This study was carried out by using three different process intensification tools such as ultrasound assisted extraction (USAE); microwave assisted extraction (MWAE) and ohmic assisted extraction (OHAE) at different power level and solid to liquid ratio. P-cymene was used as a green solvent for extraction and Peleg's model was adopted to describe the kinetics of extraction process. The highest yield of 27.42% for USAE, 30.42% for MWAE and 25.34% for OHAE was observed. In addition, USAE extracted oil was better in quality aspects. The extracted oil mainly composed of poly-unsaturated fatty acids; α-eleostearic, linolenic acid, gamma linolenic acid and stearic acid. Among all the treatments, USAE gave best quality of oil with highest percentage of alpha-eleostearic (6.51%), linolenic acid (6.24%) and stearic acid (0.80%). The present study indicates that USAE and use of p-cymene serves as a potential sustainable approach for edible oil production without imposing environmental burden.