Extraction Of Free Fatty Acids Research Articles

Analysis of fatty acid profiles of free fatty acids generated in deep-frying process.

During the deep fat food frying process, the frying media, oil, continuously degenerates when exposed to high temperature, oxygen and moisture. This leads to physical and chemical changes including the formation of hydrolysis products such as free fatty acids (FFAs) which are associated with undesirable darkening in colour, off-flavouring and a lowering of the smoke point. This study was aiming to develop a method capable of identifying and quantifying individual free fatty acids within oil using a small sample size (100mg of oil). We used liquid/liquid extraction technique to separate FFAs from the rest of the oil followed by esterification using boron trifluoride (BF3) and then gas chromatography analysis. Various extraction conditions were tested. A mixture of 0.02M phosphate buffer at pH 12 and acetonitrile at solvent: buffer ratio larger than 2:1 showed the highest efficiency in extraction of FFAs. The method was capable of producing accurate fatty acid profiles of FFAs and showed good precision on medium rancidity oil samples. It also captured the differences induced by adding free fatty acids to samples. An interesting discrepancy was found between the new method and the traditional titration method in terms of overall FFA content, which suggests further optimisation and investigation are required.

Analysis of Fatty Acids in Trichosanthes kirilowii Maxim by MSPD and Fluorescence Derivatization.

The extraction and analysis of free fatty acids (FFAs) in the whole natural plants are reported. The aminopropyl-functionalized SBA-15 was designed to increase the efficiency of the matrix solid-phase dispersion (MSPD) extraction method. MSPD extraction was performed using to extract FFAs via acid-base interactions. The optimum parameters for the MSPD extraction were N-SBA-15 30 mg, grinding time 120 s and elution solvent methanol-HCl (6:4, v/v). After extraction, the FFAs were analyzed by HPLC with fluorescent labeling. The reaction of the labeling agent, 2-(9-oxoacridin-10(9 H)-yl) acetohydrazide, with FFAs proceeded easily and quickly (within 20 min) in the presence of 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl) carbodiimide hydrochloride as the condensing agent. The derivatives had excellent fluorescence properties with excitation and emission wavelengths of 260 and 430 nm, respectively. Good linear correlations were observed for all FFAs, with correlation coefficients >0.996. When 20 mg of sample were used for the analysis, the detection limits at a signal-to-noise ratio of 3 were in the range 0.21-1.20 μg g-1. The FFAs in the roots, stems, leaves and peel of Trichosanthes kirilowii Maxim were determined using the developed method.

Effect of Solvent Extraction Parameters on the Recovery of Oil From Spent Coffee Grounds for Biofuel Production

Spent coffee grounds (SCG) are a potentially valuable source of lipids for sustainable production of biofuels. However, there are several feedstock properties and solvent extraction parameters that can impact on the oil yield and quality, potentially reducing the possible environmental benefits of deriving oils from this waste stream. This study presents results of laboratory and pilot plant scale experimental investigations into lipid recovery from spent coffee, determining the effects of solvent extraction variables including duration, SCG-to-solvent ratio and SCG residual moisture. SCG samples from both the industrial production of instant coffee and retail coffee shops were characterized in terms of moisture content, particle size distribution and oil content to identify the impact of these variables on the efficiency of lipid recovery by solvent extraction. The dry weight oil content of the instant SCG samples ranged from 24.2 to 30.4% w/w, while the retail SCG samples contained considerably lower amounts of lipids with their oil content ranging between 13.4 and 14.8% w/w. The highest oil yields were found at an extraction duration of 8 h, while a moisture content of ~2% w/w led to increased yields relative to completely dry samples. A pattern of increasing acidity with decreasing extraction duration was observed, suggesting preferential extraction of free fatty acids (FFA), with the fatty acid (FA) profile of the oil found to be similar to lipids commonly utilized for biofuel production.

Dual‐functionality ionic liquid mix for extraction and esterification of fatty acids as a step towards increasing the efficiency of conversion of waste cooking oils to biodiesel

AbstractBACKGROUNDThe increasing value of pure vegetable oils has made the use of waste cooking oils an attractive alternative feedstock for biodiesel production but the presence of free fatty acids in the waste significantly reduces efficiency of the conversion.RESULTSA low‐temperature mixed ionic liquid system with dual extraction and catalytic functions for the conversion of waste oils containing high levels of free fatty acids to biodiesel was successfully trialled. The solvent, a totally miscible system of HPyrBr and the Brønsted acid, SPyrHSO4, allows the key properties of each ionic liquid, as extractant or catalyst, to work uninhibited by the presence of the other. Extraction of free fatty acids from vegetable oils and their conversion to methyl esters in high yield is demonstrated for vegetable oils, containing single and mixed fatty acids, and for a model waste cooking oil. The oil separated from free fatty acids in the waste has a low acid value and can be converted efficiently to biodiesel; with the ionic liquid solvent recovered unchanged for reuse.CONCLUSIONSA mixed ionic liquid extraction‐esterification solvent process has been developed to effect efficient conversion of free fatty acids in waste vegetable oils to biodiesel and their conversion to esters. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry

Current lipid extraction methods are significantly enhanced adding a water treatment step in Chlorella protothecoides

Background Microalgae have the potential to rapidly accumulate lipids of high interest for the food, cosmetics, pharmaceutical and energy (e.g. biodiesel) industries. However, current lipid extraction methods show efficiency limitation and until now, extraction protocols have not been fully optimized for specific lipid compounds. The present study thus presents a novel lipid extraction method, consisting in the addition of a water treatment of biomass between the two-stage solvent extraction steps of current extraction methods. The resulting modified method not only enhances lipid extraction efficiency, but also yields a higher triacylglycerols (TAG) ratio, which is highly desirable for biodiesel production.ResultsModification of four existing methods using acetone, chloroform/methanol (Chl/Met), chloroform/methanol/H2O (Chl/Met/H2O) and dichloromethane/methanol (Dic/Met) showed respective lipid extraction yield enhancement of 72.3, 35.8, 60.3 and 60.9%. The modified acetone method resulted in the highest extraction yield, with 68.9 ± 0.2% DW total lipids. Extraction of TAG was particularly improved with the water treatment, especially for the Chl/Met/H2O and Dic/Met methods. The acetone method with the water treatment led to the highest extraction level of TAG with 73.7 ± 7.3 µg/mg DW, which is 130.8 ± 10.6% higher than the maximum value obtained for the four classical methods (31.9 ± 4.6 µg/mg DW). Interestingly, the water treatment preferentially improved the extraction of intracellular fractions, i.e. TAG, sterols, and free fatty acids, compared to the lipid fractions of the cell membranes, which are constituted of phospholipids (PL), acetone mobile polar lipids and hydrocarbons. Finally, from the 32 fatty acids analyzed for both neutral lipids (NL) and polar lipids (PL) fractions, it is clear that the water treatment greatly improves NL-to-PL ratio for the four standard methods assessed.ConclusionWater treatment of biomass after the first solvent extraction step helps the subsequent release of intracellular lipids in the second extraction step, thus improving the global lipids extraction yield. In addition, the water treatment positively modifies the intracellular lipid class ratios of the final extract, in which TAG ratio is significantly increased without changes in the fatty acids composition. The novel method thus provides an efficient way to improve lipid extraction yield of existing methods, as well as selectively favoring TAG, a lipid of the upmost interest for biodiesel production.

Variation in fatty acids throughout the developmental stages of Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp. leaves

The n-hexane extracts of young, mature and senescent leaves of Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp., commonly known as cowpea, were analysed by thin-layer chromatography (TLC), gas chromatography with flame ionization detector (GC-FID) and gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy (GC-MS), and revealed 12, 14 and 12 free fatty acids representing approximately 3.2, 4.5 and 2.5 mg per 100 g of leaf tissue in young, mature and senescent leaves, respectively. After extraction of surface-wax free fatty acids, the chloroform : methanol : water extracts of three types of leaf were analysed by TLC, GC-FID and GC-MS, and 15 fatty acids were detected, accounting for approximately 15.5, 24.0 and 9.4 mg in young, mature and senescent leaves, respectively. Palmitoleic, heptadecanoic and docosanoic acids were the predominant free fatty acids in young, mature and senescent leaves, representing approximately 1.4, 1.3 and 0.8 mg per 100 g leaf tissue, respectively; whereas myristic, tridecanoic and pentadecanoic acids were the least abundant free fatty acids in young, mature and senescent leaves, accounting for approximately 1.5, 20.6 and 25.2 μg per 100 g leaf tissue, respectively. Palmitoleic acid was the predominant fatty acid without surface-wax free fatty acids in young, mature and senescent leaves, accounting for approximately 8, 16.9 and 4.8 mg, respectively. Nonadecanoic acid was the least abundant fatty acid in young and senescent leaves without surface-wax free fatty acids representing approximately 64 and 43 μg per 100 g leaf tissue, respectively; whereas lauric acid was the least abundant fatty acid in mature leaves (40 μg per 100 g leaf tissue).

Determination of free fatty acids in beer

Free fatty acids (FFA) content of beer affects the ability to form a stable head of foam and plays an important role in beer staling. Moreover, the presence of saturated FAs is related sometimes to gushing problems in beer. The aim of this research was to validate an analytical method for the determination of FFAs in beer. The extraction of FFAs in beer was achieved via Liquid–Liquid Cartridge Extraction (LLCE), the FFAs extract was purified by Solid Phase Extraction (SPE), methylated by boron trifluoride in methanol, and injected into GC-FID system. The performance criteria demonstrate that this method is suitable for the analysis of medium and long chain FFAs in beer. The proposed method was tested on four experimental beers.

Kinetics of soybean oil extraction using ethanol as solvent: Experimental data and modeling

The main aim of this work was to obtain experimental data of the extraction kinetics of soybean oil and free fatty acids (FFA) for systems containing an expanded mass of soybean (collets) and ethanol with different hydration levels (0 and 5.98mass% of water) at temperatures of 40, 50 and 60°C. Through the obtained experimental data it can be seen that increasing the hydration level of ethanol suppresses the soybean oil extraction but increases the FFA extraction, while the temperature favors the solubility of both fatty compounds. The experimental data were correlated using a model proposed by So and Macdonald (1986. Can. J. Chem. Eng. 64, 80–86), which enables determination of the mass transfer coefficients in the washing and diffusion steps, and a model proposed by Perez et al. (2011. J. Food Eng. 105, 180–185) that enables the estimation of diffusivity coefficients. High values of the coefficient of determination (R2≥0.9961) and low values of the average relative deviation (ARD≤4.74%) were obtained, showing that the models used were suitable to describe the kinetics of extraction of the oil and minor compounds present in soybean. The value of the diffusivity coefficient for soybean oil increased with increasing temperature and with decreasing hydration level in the solvent, presenting values of 3.61 to 5.36×10−11m2s−1.

Chromatographic–mass spectrometric determination of free fatty acids in blood plasma and urine using extractive alkylation

A method is proposed for the extractive alkylation of free fatty acids (FFA) in blood plasma and urine for their subsequent chromatographic–mass spectrometric determination as methyl esters. The list of target compounds includes 19 saturated acids (C6–C24) and 20 unsaturated acids (C16–C24), including ω-3, ω-6, ω-9, and polyunsaturated fatty acids. For the simultaneous extraction of FFA from a matrix and derivatization, extractive alkylation with iodomethane was used. The peculiarity and advantage of the method is integration of the stages of extraction and preparation of volatile derivatives under mild conditions. The recovery and conversion are from 60 to 90%. The analytical range was from 0.02 to 20 µg/mL of a sample. The effect of samples storage conditions on the results of measurements is evaluated. The method was tested in the determination of FFA in blood plasma and urine of volunteers and laboratory animals.

ANALYSIS OF FATTY ACIDS EXTRACTED FROM A WHALE SKELETON: ANALYTICAL APPROACH TO EVALUATE THE EFFICACY OF DEGREASING TREATMENT

The Natural History Museum of Nantes, France, was encountering difficulties in the display and preservation of an insufficiently degreased fin whale skeleton. A degreasing method to solve this issue was thus investigated, using bone samples having problems similar to this skeleton. First, gas chromatography was used to show that the grease seeping out the bones was constituted of free fatty acids, and the profile of these free fatty acids was then established. Experimental conditions for the treatment were then optimized to ensure a good efficacy of free fatty acid extraction while respecting bone integrity. A succession of brief heptane baths at room temperature was found to be a good compromise. The appropriate number of treatment applications was determined on the basis of the appearance of the extracts, and gas chromatography analysis was used to rationalize the evolution in their visual appearance. During the initial baths, extraction of unsaturated fatty acids (brown oil causing brown spots to appear on the bone surface) occurred. In contrast, from the third bath onwards, mainly saturated fatty acids were removed. However, extraction of all the saturated fatty acids is not recommended because of their role in the mechanical support of bone structure. The treatments tested were shown to have no adverse effects on the organic components of bone, as evidenced by high-resolution nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, since fragments of collagen were not detected in the extracts. However, calcium, but only in trace amounts, was detected by atomic absorption spectrometry. This suggests that the inorganic part of bone, which is composed of hydroxyapatite, had undergone very limited degradation.

Direct Derivatization vs Aqueous Extraction Methods of Fecal Free Fatty Acids for GC–MS Analysis

A comprehensive and accurate determination of free fatty acids (FFA) is required for fecal metabolomic investigations. The present study compares three aqueous extraction methods (1) ULTRA-TURRAX(®), (2) whirl mixing and (3) basic ULTRA-TURRAX extraction of fecal FFA with a direct derivatization approach using ethyl chloroformate as the derivatization reagent before determination by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The direct derivatization method resulted in significantly higher estimations (P<0.01) of short-and long-chain fatty acids than was the case when applying the aqueous extraction methods using ULTRA-TURRAX, whirl mixing, or basic ULTRA-TURRAX extraction before the derivatization step. Thus, avoiding an aqueous extraction before derivatization reduces the loss of volatile short-chain FFA and the less water-soluble long-chain FFA.

Olive oil as functional component in meat and meat products: a review

Olive oil is a functional food considered to be the major component of Mediterranean diet widely used in cooking, pharmaceuticals, soaps, and in cosmetics. There are different grades of olive oil based on source of extraction and percentage of Free Fatty Acid (FFA) and it has got wider applications. It is used in the preparation of different food products in order to achieve functional properties as a fat replacer, antioxidant properties, health promoting functions and to improve the fatty acid profile in terms of Saturated: Monounsaturated: Polyunsaturated fatty acids as well as ω-6: ω-3 ratio. Various in vitro and in vivo studies revealed health promoting attributes of olive oil like antimicrobial, antioxidant property, lowering of cardiovascular heart diseases, reduction in cancer risks, anti-inflammatory and other attributes. This review paper presents an overview about different grades of olive oil, functional components and their biological roles and also stress the importance of further research in the development of meat products by using processing techniques with regard to functional foods with maximum quality and shelf life.

Extraction of free fatty acids from wet Nannochloropsis gaditana biomass for biodiesel production

The objective of this work is to develop a process for producing biodiesel from the saponifiable lipid (SL) fraction of the wet microalgal biomass Nannochloropsis gaditana. The method consists of five steps. Firstly, crude fatty acid salt extraction was carried out using a KOH-ethanol (96%) solution, which allows one to extract the SLs as potassium salts. This transformation permits better separation of the unsaponifiable lipids (the second step) and finally produces purer biodiesel. The unsaponifiable lipids were then separated with hexane, after establishing the ethanol-water solution water content at 30% w/w. Some unsaponifiable lipids (carotenoids and phytosterols) are products of interest that might be purified from this fraction thus helping to improve the process's profitability. Thirdly, free fatty acids (FFAs) were purified by acidification of the ethanol-water solution to pH 5 and were then extracted with hexane. Fourthly, the FFAs were transformed to biodiesel by esterification with excess of methanol catalyzed using sulphuric acid, removing the excess by washing with hot water. Under these conditions the biodiesel purity and yield were 74.8% and 82% w/w, respectively. Finally, the biodiesel was clarified/purified up to 96.5% purity by adsorption with bentonite. The final biodiesel yield was 80.9%.

Effects of anionic surfactant on extraction of free fatty acid from Chlorella vulgaris.

Microalgal lipid with a high free fatty acid (FFA) content was directly extracted from Chlorella vulgaris, using SDBS, in an acid-catalyzed hot-water extraction process. The total fatty acid content of C. vulgaris was 296.0 mg/g cell. Under the 1.0% sulfuric acid, 0.4% SDBS conditions, the FFA content of the lipid increased to 96.7%, and the lipid-extraction yield was 248.4 mg/g cell. Under the 2.0% sulfuric acid, 0.2% SDBS conditions, the FFA content of the lipid was 96.1%, and the lipid-extraction yield was 266.0mg/g cell. Whereas the FAME content of the microalgal lipid extracted by hexane-methanol was 76.4% at the 10.0% sulfuric acid concentration, the FAME content of the high-FFA microalgal lipid was increased to 70.1% at a sulfuric acid concentration of only 0.1%. By combined sulfuric acid/SDBS treatment, high-FFA microalgal lipid was extracted in large yields; moreover, the amount of catalyst was remarkably reduced in the esterification of FFA.

Deacidification of Soybean Oil Combining Solvent Extraction and Membrane Technology

The aim of this work was to study the removal of free fatty acids (FFAs) from soybean oil, combining solvent extraction (liquid-liquid) for the separation of FFAs from the oil and membrane technology to recover the solvent through nanofiltration (NF). Degummed soybean oil containing 1.05 ± 0.10% w/w FFAs was deacidified by extraction with ethanol. Results obtained in the experiences of FFAs extraction from oil show that the optimal operating conditions are the following: 1.8 : 1 w : w ethanol/oil ratio, 30 minutes extraction time and high speed of agitation and 30 minutes repose time after extraction at ambient temperature. As a result of these operations two phases are obtained: deacidified oil phase and ethanol phase (containing the FFAs). The oil from the first extraction is subjected to a second extraction under the same conditions, reducing the FFA concentration in oil to 0.09%. Solvent recovery from the ethanol phase is performed using nanofiltration technology with a commercially available polymeric NF membrane (NF-99-HF, Alfa Laval). From the analysis of the results we can conclude that the optimal operating conditions are pressure of 20 bar and temperature of 35°C, allowing better separation performance: permeate flux of 28.3 L/m2·h and FFA retention of 70%.

Rapid Magnetic Solid-Phase Extraction Based on Monodisperse Magnetic Single-Crystal Ferrite Nanoparticles for the Determination of Free Fatty Acid Content in Edible Oils

This study proposes a rapid magnetic solid-phase extraction (MSPE) based on monodisperse magnetic single-crystal ferrite (Fe(3)O(4)) nanoparticles (NPs) for determining the quantities of eight free fatty acids (FFAs), including palmitic acid (C16:0), stearic acid (C18:0), oleic acid (C18:1), linoleic acid (C18:2), linolenic acid (C18:3), arachidic acid (C20:0), eicosenoic acid (C20:1), and behenic acid (C22:0) in oil. The amine-functionalized mesoporous Fe(3)O(4) magnetic NPs were applied as a sorbent for MSPE of FFAs from oil samples in a process that is based on hydrophilic interaction. The extraction can be completed rapidly in a dispersive mode with the aid of vigorous vortex. Additional tedious processing steps such as centrifugation and evaporation of organic solvent were not necessary with this procedure. Furthermore, esterification of FFAs can be accomplished during the desorption procedure by using methanol/sulfuric acid (99:1, v/v) as the desorption solvent. Several parameters affecting the extraction efficiency were investigated, including the matrix solvent for extraction, the desorption solvent and desorption time, and the amount of sorbent and extraction time. The pretreatment process was rapid under optimal conditions, being accomplished within 15 min. When coupled with gas chromatography-flame ionization detection (GC-FID), a rapid, simple, and convenient MSPE-GC-FID method for the determination of FFAs in oil samples was established with a total analysis time within 25 min. The limits of detection for the target FFAs were found to be 7.22-26.26 ng/mL. Recoveries in oil samples were in the range of 81.33-117.75%, with RSDs of <6.4% (intraday) and <6.9% (interday). This method was applied successfully to the analysis of dynamic FFA formation in four types of edible oils subjected to an accelerated storage test. The simple, rapid, and cost-effective method developed in the current study offers a potential application for the extraction and preconcentration of FFAs from hydrophobic sample matrices, including edible fats and oils, fatty foods, and biological samples with high amounts of lipid.

Simultaneous extraction and derivatization of amino acids and free fatty acids in meat products

In meat products the contents of free amino acids and free fatty acids are two important parameters used to establish their quality. These compounds play a very important role in defining the sensorial characteristics and acceptability of meat products. An innovative procedure for the measurement of free amino acid and fatty acid contents in meat and meat derivatives was developed. A single experiment can be performed in order to determine simultaneously the free amino acid and free fatty acid profiles. The analytes of interest are rapidly extracted from the meat matrix and derivatized by using methyl chloroformate. This reagent allows the transformation of the two groups of analytes into the corresponding N-methyloxycarbonyl amino acid methyl esters and fatty acid methyl esters that can easily be extracted and sampled for their further identification and quantitation. The measurement of the obtained amino acid and fatty acid derivatives is performed by GC/MS analysis and their concentrations are calculated by using two appropriate internal standards. The main advantage of the proposed protocol is the determination at the same time of two important classes of analytes that are of great importance in food analysis and characterization. Moreover, minimal sample manipulation and preparation, and reduced total extraction times are required to obtain the response with respect to conventional procedures, in which instead the analysis of both the two classes of compounds must be performed separately. The helpfulness of the protocol was tested in the analysis of a cured meat product that is typical of the South of Italy. The optimized protocol successfully allowed the determination of thirteen free amino acids and six free fatty acids, namely those most abundant in the lipid content of the cured meat product under evaluation.

EKSTRAKSI ASAM LEMAK BEBAS DARI MINYAK NABATI DENGAN METANOL KAJIAN PERPINDAHAN MASSA

Wahyuningsih, Moh Endy Yulianto, in this paper explain that extraction of free fatty acids from vegetable oils with methanol performed in batch stirred tank, in a variety of conditions. Variables experiments in liquid-liquid extraction including temperature, solvent ratio and rotational speed stirrer. This study aims to develop a correlation coefficient of mass transfer in extraction of free fatty acids from vegetable oils methanol. Rresearch was conducted in two phases. Was the first stage liquid-liquid extraction experiments in laboratory. Second step is the development of an empirical correlation for the mass transfer coefficients in the form of numbers not berdemensi results showed that the greater the temperature, turn the mixer speed and solvent-feed ratio of the mass transfer koffisien gained greater. Mass transfer coefficient expressed in Sherwood number and correlated against the Reynolds number, Schmitd, (dP / dT) and (L / S), the results obtained: Sh = 4,669 x 10-5 Re 0,462 Sc0,5 (dP/dT)0,308 (L/S)0,187 If used to calculate the mass transfer coefficients, have an average error of 8.79% for the regression line. This equation was developed in the Re number range 3169 to 11 750; numbers Sc 6321 to 9896, (dp / dT) from 0.0007 to 0.0013 and (L / S) of 0.333 to 1. Keywords: nabati oil extraction

Automated flow pH-method for the determination of total free fatty acids content in edible oils

An automated flow pH-method for the determination of titratable acidity (TA) in edible oil without titration is proposed, based on pH measurements on an oil sample emulsion in a suitable reagent. The developed flow pH system involves two constant rate flows: the flow of oils samples and the flow of reagent: triethanolamine+KNO3+H2O+i-PrOH, in which oils is insoluble. The flows are mixed in the mixer forming the emulsion in which the free fatty acids (FFA) extraction is started. Then, the emulsion is passed to the coil for completion of FFA extraction and thermostation and then forwarded to pH-cell for pH measurement. Using pH values and linear dependence of pH vs. log (TA) allows the TA determination.The optimum parameters for the automated flow pH-system have been found, i.e., volumes of the mixer and the coils, the rate of sample and reagent, pH and TA ranges. The results of the TA determination in the edible oils were statistically compared with the standard titration method.

Partition of Free Fatty Acids in Deacidification of Macaúba Pulp Oil by Liquid-Liquid Extraction Using Ethanol/Water as Solvent

Free fatty acids (FFA) is one of the most frequently determined quality indices in fats and oils industry because it has the economic impacts on production [1]. The FFA in macaúba pulp oil is usually very high (10 to 40%) due to enzymatic activity in the raw material [2]. In this case, alkali neutralization is not economically recommended due to neutral oil loss by occlusion in soapstock. The differential solubility of fatty acids and triacylglycerides (TAG) in various organic solvents has formed the basis of several processes for deacidification of crude oils by liquid–liquid extraction [3]. The aim of the present work was to evaluate the influence of raw oil acidity, ethanol/water ratio, water content in ethanol and temperature extraction on partition coefficients of FFA during macaúba oil deacidification. The macaúba crude oil presented high acid index, about 86  1.2 mg KOH/g. The extraction data for the system macaúba oil + free fatty acids + ethanol + water was determined for oil:solvent mass ratios 1:1. Alcoholic solutions containing 2 to 10 % (w/w) of water were used to FFA extraction and the partition coefficients were determined after 24 hours at room temperature (293 K). The phase’s separation was observed for water content in the mixture above 4%. After solvent evaporation, the FFA in oil phase was evaluated by AOCS standard method. Regarding the high acid oil, the single stage liquid-liquid extraction reduced the FFA in macaúba pulp oil in about 23 % while the three batch stages reduced up to 60%. At the selected parameters (ethanol 94oGL, solvent/substrate ratio = 2), the partition coefficients in the firs stage to FFA (KFFA) were 30.45, 12.00 and 1.95, respectively to high acid, acid and low acid macaúba oils and the partition coefficients to TAG (KTAG) were 7.07, 0.04 and 0.02, respectively to high acid, acid and low acid macaúba oils. These results show the potential of ethanol to vegetable oil deacidification. Besides reduced generation of environmental pollutants, this new approach could also lead to reduction in oil losses, especially for low acid oil.