Low Acid Value Research Articles

Green Biofuel Production via Catalytic Pyrolysis of Waste Cooking Oil using Malaysian Dolomite Catalyst

Malaysian Dolomite has shown potential deoxygenation catalyst due to high capacity in removing oxygen compound and produce high quality of biofuel with desirable lighter hydrocarbon (C8-C24). The performance of this catalyst was compared with several commercial catalysts in catalytic pyrolysis of Waste Cooking Oil. Calcination at 900 °C in N2 produced catalyst with very high activity due to decomposition of CaMg(CO3)2 phase and formation of MgO-CaO phase. The liquid product showed similar chemical composition of biofuel in the range of gasoline, kerosene and diesel fuel. Furthermore, Malaysian Dolomite showed high reactivity with 76.51 % in total liquid hydrocarbon and the ability to convert the oxygenated compounds into CO2, CO, CH4, H2, hydrocarbon fuel gas, and H2O. Moreover, low acid value (33 mg KOH/g) and low aromatic hydrocarbon content were obtained in the biofuel. Thus, local calcined carbonated material has a potential to act as catalyst in converting waste cooking oil into biofuel.

Production of Healthy Functional Soft White Cheese Using Moringa oleifera Oil.

Moringa oleifera oil is composed of highly unsaturated fatty acids containing 80.4% polyunsaturated, mainly oleic acids 67.9% and had a low acid value and low free fatty acids composition, so it is acceptable for edible application. The objective of study was the feasibility of using Moringa oleifera oil in manufacture of cheese compared with other oils (olive, sun flower) and the effect of using Moringa oleifera oil in chemically; organoleptically and microbial content in cheese. Fat was mechanically separated from buffalo's milk to reach 3% fat. Then the resultant milk divided into four portions. First let as control, then, the rest milk divided into three portions and fat substituted with 1, 1.5 and 3% of olive, moringa and sunflower oils. The resultant milk manufactured to soft white cheese and the resultant cheese was analyzed chemically, microbiologically and organoleptically. Findings showed that 1.5% of different oils are best ratio and had gained highest scores for appearance, body and texture and flavor. The soft white cheese manufactured by Moringa oleifera oil was a best treatment than control and other treatments and has antimicrobial properties. Acidity, fat, total nitrogen, soluble nitrogen, total volatile fatty acids (TVFA) and thiobarbituric acid (TBA) increased during cold storage at 5°C+1 for 3 weeks cheese with Moringa oleifera oil had lower (PV) peroxide value than other treatments and pH took an opposite trend. It was concluded that Moringa oleifera oil in soft cheese improved body and texture, flavor, than olive and sunflower oils and also increased the shelf life of cheese.

Sequential inoculum of Hanseniaspora guilliermondii and Saccharomyces cerevisiae for winemaking Campanino on an industrial scale.

In this study, the effect of sequential inoculation with non-Saccharomyces (Hanseniaspora guilliermondii) and Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast on the distinctive characteristics of the Campanino white wine was investigated. For this purpose, three independent winemaking experiments were carried out on an industrial scale (batches A, B and C). In detail, the first one was carried out using the sequential inoculation technique while the other two, using a S. cerevisiae single-strain starter or no inoculation representing the control batches. Microbiological and chemical parameters and sensorial profiles of the wines were defined. Interestingly, the results showed that when sequential cultures (H. guilliermondii in a sequential mixture with S. cerevisiae) were used, a better wine aroma and quality was observed. More specifically, the wine obtained by sequential inoculation showed lower acetic acid values and enhanced volatile profiles than the wine from the control batches. Finally, sensorial analysis confirmed that the sequential cultures led to an improvement in wine flavour. Therefore, results suggest that the sequential inoculation using non-Saccharomyces and Saccharomyces yeast represents a biotechnological practice that can improve the quality features of traditional white wine. It has been shown for the first time that on an industrial scale H. guilliermondii could be used in sequential inoculum with S. cerevisiae in making white Campanino wine.

Synthesis and optimization of ethyl esters from fish oil waste for biodiesel production

Abstract Fish oil is a sustainable, abundant, and low-cost raw material, as it is extracted from fish processing waste. This work suggests that fish oil is appropriate for biodiesel production and evaluates its potential through ethyl esters (EE). Initially, fish oil showed an acid value of 10.86 ± 0.05 mg KOH g−1. But after a neutralization reaction, the acid value was reduced to 0.68 ± 0.01 mg KOH g−1. Alkaline transesterification reactions were performed on a laboratory scale, using a central composite rotational design with three variables and a triplicate over the center point. We studied the appropriate concentrations of ethanol and catalysts, and the temperature that provide the best EE yield. The results showed the optimal condition is with 0.7% of a NaOH catalyst, a temperature of 54 °C, and an ethanol:oil molar ratio of 11.7:1. In such conditions, it was possible to acquire an EE yield of 96.4% with a low acid value of 0.32 ± 0.08 mg KOH g−1, which presented physicochemical properties consistent with the parameters by the Petroleum National Agency's (ANP). In the conditions studied, the results showed high levels of EE from the residual fish oil. This suggests that this raw material, rich in unsaturated fatty acid, can be beneficial for biodiesel.

Combined Esterification and Short‐Path Distillation for High‐Purity Pentaerythritol Ester from Palm Kernel for Biolubricants

AbstractThe development of specialty esters using palm‐based materials through a solventless and autocatalytic method was investigated. The C8−C10 fatty‐acid esters of pentaerythritol are the bases for high‐performance lubricants. In the present study, an easy and efficient method was developed using an esterification process coupled with short‐path distillation to produce high‐purity pentaerythritol ester (PEE) for the more complete removal of acid value (AV) in the end products. The compositions of the distilled PEE have the highest 96% w/w % tetraester at an evaporator temperature of 200–225 °C and a vacuum pressure of 0.05 mbar to retain a low AV of less than 1 mg KOH g−1 and a low hydroxyl value. The rate of heating at 30 °C h−1 was found to be crucial in obtaining high‐purity tetraester. According to Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) 301F, PEE is readily biodegradable and 100% biodegradability can be achieved in less than 9 days. PEE produced has shown lubricant properties and can be used as a base stock for biolubricant composition.

Catalytic cracking of rubber seed oil using basic mesoporous molecular sieves K2O/MeO-SBA-15 (Me = Ca, Mg or Ba) as heterogeneous catalysts for the production of liquid hydrocarbon fuels

Liquid hydrocarbon fuels obtained from the catalytic cracking animal fats and plant oils have become one kinds of the attractive fuels because of their possible environment benefits and the current concern over the depletion of fossil fuel sources. In this work, using the combined methods of one-pot synthesis and wetness-impregnation, some basic mesoporous molecular sieves K2O/MeO-SBA-15 (Me = Ca, Mg or Ba) were prepared, characterized and used in the catalytic cracking of rubber seed oil (RSO). The results indicated that the catalysts K2O/MeO-SBA-15 had better catalytic performances than MeO-SBA-15, assigning to their stronger basicity. The catalyst K2O/MgO-SBA-15 obtained with 15 wt% KNO3 impregnation concentration showed the excellent catalytic performance with about 93.2% conversion and 78.3% yield of liquid hydrocarbon biofuel. The obtained liquid biofuel had similar chemical composition to diesel-based fuels and showed good cold flow property, high calorific and low acid value. Importantly, the catalyst K2O/MgO-SBA-15 was of excellent reusability, and it was reused with negligible loss in its catalytic performance for five times, attributing to the MgO layer between silicon skeleton and potassium species which prevents the reaction between silicon in the framework and potassium species.

New therapies to relieve pain: The search for more efficient and safer alternatives to opioid pain killers.

EMBO Reports (2018) e46925 Opioids are a largely efficient medication for relieving severe pain and are prescribed for a wide variety of indications including metastatic cancer, arthritis, neuropathy or post‐surgical pain. These drugs target opioid receptors to produce effects similar to morphine and include moderately strong painkillers such as oxycodone and hydrocodone (Vicodin), and strong drugs like fentanyl, which resembles opium‐derived morphine and heroin. The great efficiency of opioids in treating severe pain has also been the major drawback for longer‐term use given their addictive power. This does not matter for short‐term use, for instance to ease post‐operative pain, or terminal cancer when the primary requirement is to relieve suffering. Yet, the addictive side effect has become a huge societal problem; in addition, opioids do not work against all types of chronic pain, including some of the most severe cases such as cancer‐induced bone pain or some cases of neuropathy resulting from nerve damage. These problems have spurred efforts to develop new drugs for treating pain with some success in developing derivatives with reduced side effects. The other major avenue of research is the identification of relevant pain pathways or protein binding sites including those involved in the placebo effect. Their efficiency has spurred physicians to prescribe opioids too readily, while drug companies have heavily advertised their effects and understated the side effects to boost usage. This three‐way collusion between patients, doctors and pharmaceutical companies has stoked the ongoing epidemic of opioid addiction that has afflicted the USA and Canada in particular, but also other developed countries in Europe and Asia. Apart from exacting a heavy social toll through loss of motivation or loss of jobs, impact on relationships, crime and so on, opioid addiction has dangerous physiological effects, notably on the respiratory system, which causes most of the overdose …

Lessons Learned From Alkali/Surfactant/Polymer-Flooding Field Tests in China

Summary Although the alkali/surfactant/polymer (ASP) flooding technique used for enhanced oil recovery (EOR) was put forward many years ago, it was not until 2014 that it was first put into practice in industrial applications with hundreds of injectors and producers in the Daqing Oil Field in China. In this study, 30 ASP-flooding field tests in China were reviewed to promote the better use of this promising technology. Up to the present, ASP flooding in the Daqing Oil Field deserves the most attention. Alkali type does affect the ASP-flooding effect. Strong alkali [using sodium hydroxide (NaOH)] ASP flooding (SASP) was given more emphasis than weak alkali [using sodium carbonate (Na2CO3)] ASP flooding (WASP) for a long time in the Daqing Oil Field because of the lower interfacial tension (IFT) of the surfactant and the higher recovery associated with NaOH than with Na2CO3. Other ASP-flooding field tests completed in China all used Na2CO3. With progress in surfactant production, a recent large-scale WASP field test in the Daqing Oil Field produced an incremental oil recovery nearly 30% higher than most previous SASP recoveries and close to the value of the most-successful SASP test. However, the most-successful SASP test was partly attributed to the weak alkali factor. Recent studies have shown that the WASP incremental oil recovery factor could be as good as that of SASP but with much-better economic benefits. Screening of surfactant by IFT test is very important in the ASP-flooding practice in China. Whether dynamic or equilibrium IFT should be selected as criteria in surfactant screening is still in dispute. Many believe the equilibrium IFT is more important than the dynamic IFT in terms of the displacement efficiency; thus, it is better to choose a lower dynamic IFT when the equilibrium IFT meets the 10−3 order-of-magnitude requirement. However, it is impossible for many surfactants to form ultralow equilibrium IFT. Because of the low acid value of the Daqing crude oil, the asphaltene and resin components play a very important role in reducing the oil/water IFT and asphaltene is believed to be more influential, although more work is required to resolve this controversial issue. Whether polymer viscoelasticity can reduce the residual oil saturation is still a matter of debate. Advances in surfactant production and in the overcoming of scaling and produced-fluid-handling challenges form the foundation of the industrial application of ASP flooding. Further work is advised on the emulsification effect of ASP flooding. According to one field test, the EOR routine should be selected depending on consideration of the residual oil type to decide whether to increase the sweep volume and/or displacement efficiency. The micellar flooding failure in one ASP field test in China has led all subsequent field tests in China to choose the “low concentration, large slug” technical route instead of the “high concentration, small slug” one. ASP flooding can increase oil recovery by 30% at a cost of less than USD 30/bbl; thus, this technique can be used in response to low-oil-price challenges.

Nutrient and Antioxidant Properties of Oils from Bagasses, Agricultural Residues, Medicinal Plants, and Fodders

Objective: This study evaluated the physicochemical properties, fatty acid (FA) and phytochemical compositions, and free radical–scavenging potentials of oils from the bagasses: Costus afer stem (CA) and Saccharum officinarum stem (SB); agricultural residues; corn cobs (CC); tigernut chaff (TB); peanut hulls (GH); medicinal plants: Sphenocentrum jollyanum leaves (SJ) and Senna alata leaves (CS); and fodders: Pennisetum purpureum (PP), Panicum maximum (PM), and Chloris gayana stalks (CG).Method: Oils from the samples were extracted using a mixture of n-hexane and isopropyl alcohol (3:2). The oils were analyzed for physicochemical properties using standard procedures, phytochemicals and FAs contents using gas chromatography-fluorescent ionization detection, and free radical–scavenging potentials using spectrophotometric methods of determination.Results: The bagasse and residue oils contained lower moisture contents (1.13%–2.38%) and acid values (1.89–9.20 mg/KOH/g), while the GH oil produced the least refractive indices, saponification value, and oil yield. CA oil contained 78% saturated FA, while SB oils contained 73.65% saturated FA and an abundance of lignoceric, palmitoleic, oleic, and arachidic acid. CC oil contained mostly behenic acid (19.65%), and GH oil produced 87.04% saturated FA, while TB oil produced 56% unsaturated FA. Oils from SJ, CS, PP, PM, and CG contained between 48.34% and 57.09% unsaturated FA. The phytochemical composition showed that ribalinidine and sapogenin were most abundant in PM oil, while lunamarine, kaempferol, and catechin were most abundant in SJ oil. GH oil produced the highest amounts of phytate (53.81 µg/ml) and oxalate (39.47 µg/ml). TB oil and oils from SJ and CS, especially at higher concentrations, matched the scavenging potentials of the standards used.Conclusions: Due to the thermal stability and amount of short chain fatty acids (SFAs) of the SB, CA, CC, and GH oils, they are more suitable for non-food industrial purposes, while TB, SJ, and CS oil properties are recommendable for therapeutic purposes, especially for relief of oxidative stress.

Komposisi Kandungan Asam Amino Pada Teripang Emas (Stichoupus horens) di Perairan Pulau Bintan, Kepulauan Riau

This study aims to analyze the amino acid component contained in the golden sea cucumber so that it can be used as a basis for consideration, management, especially the development of sea cucumbers. Protein in sea cucumbers have complete amino acids, both essential amino acids and non-essential amino acids. The result of the proximate test of golden sea cucumber has high protein content which is 95,14% and fat 0,20% compared to other sea cucumber type while the protein of sea cucumber is very low that is 1.78% and 1.54% ash. The highest content of dried sea cucumber amino acids in golden sea cucumber meat seen in glutamic acid of 6.6049%, 7.1769% glycine, aspartic acid 3.9227% and proline of 3.4189% while the results of wet sea cucumber amino acids have a low amino acid value with glutamic acid 0.2281%, Glycine 0.2308% and Alanin 0.2169%.

Biodiesel from Lindera glauca oil, a potential non-food feedstock in Southern China

In this study, fruit oil of Lindera glauca was investigated for the first time as a promising non–conventional feedstock to produce biodiesel, which was performed using a two–step catalyzed process on a laboratory scale. L. glauca fruit has high oil content (43.35 ± 3.24%), and its oil has low acid value (2.18 mg KOH g−1). The fatty acid composition of LG oil mainly includes oleic acid (36.34% ± 1.1%), linoleic acid (10.53% ± 0.4%), palmitic acid (17. 30% ± 0.7%) and decanoic acid (15. 80% ± 0.5%). Four important factors for reaction conditions were repeatedly tested to obtained the optimum conditions, i.e., molar ratio of 10:1 (methanol/oil), sodium hydroxide (NaOH) concentration (1.50% w/w), reaction temperature (60 °C), and the reaction times (60 min), with a mean of 95.6% of biodiesel production. The main properties of LG biodiesel were conformed to EN 14214–08, ASTM D6751–10 and GB/T 20828–2014 standards, especially the oxidative stability (16.8 h) and Flash point (158 °C) were excellent. These results obtained in this work can provide important information for developing this non-food feedstock.

The study of palm and rapeseed oil stability during frying

Palm oil is characterized by high oxidation stability, high smoke point, low foam making properties, limited penetration into the product, what makes it ideal for processes requiring thermal treatment such as frying. The aim of the study was to investigate the chemical composition and thermooxidative stability of red palm olein, rapeseed oil and their mixtures during deep-frying of French fries. Analysis of fatty acids composition and basic parameters of fresh oils (acid number, peroxide value, polar compounds content, induction time) were performed. During frying, changes in acid number, polar compounds in oils as well as consumers’ acceptance of the fries fried in these oils were investigated. During the 32-hour of frying, the lowest chemical changes occurred in palm olein, what was confirmed by low acid values (0.99 mg KOH/g) and low polar content (14.4%). At the end of the experiment, the oil mixture had the highest polar fraction value of 25.0%. In the opinion of consumers, fries fried in rapeseed oil were “the best”, while French fries fried on palm oil were considered “artificial”, “chemical” and “disgusting”. The reason for this opinion was the addition of β-carotene to this oil. On the other hand β-carotene from palm olein had a great positive effect on the colour of the fries, but at the same time had a negative effect on the taste.

Effects of chitosan coatings incorporating with free or nano-encapsulated Satureja plant essential oil on quality characteristics of lamb meat

There is a growing demand for bio-based and active packaging as one of the preferred emerging technologies to improve food quality and extend shelf-life. The objectives of this study were to formulate a novel biodegradable coating embedded with nano-encapsulated Satureja khuzestanica essential oils (SKEO) and to compare effect of chitosan coatings containing free or nano-encapsulated SKEO on chemical, microbial, and sensory properties of lamb meat samples over a 20 day period at 4 °C. Nanoliposomes with the average sizes of 93–96 nm were prepared using different concentrations of soy-lecithin ratios (60:0, 50:10, 40:20, and 30:30) by thin-film hydration-sonication method. Size distribution and encapsulation efficiency (EE) of nanoliposomes were calculated 0.83–0.88 and 46–69%, respectively. Nanoliposomes with the lower droplet size and maximum EE were selected for coating of meat samples. The results indicated that the coating treatments could effectively retard microbial growth and chemical spoilage, which reflected itself in lower pH and 2-thiobarbituric acid values (P < 0.05). Encapsulation decelerated the release of SKEO and led to a prolonged antimicrobial and antioxidant activity and also improved sensory attributes. The study suggests that chitosan coating containing encapsulated SKEO can be a promising candidate for extending the shelf-life of lamb meat.

Properties of Gul Jeotgal (Oyster Jeotgal) Prepared with Different Types of Salt and Bacillus subtilis JS2 as Starter

Gul (oyster) jeotgals (GJs) were prepared using different types of salt (23%, w/v): purified salt, solar salt aged for 3 years, and bamboo salt crystalized 3 times. One set of GJs was fermented with Bacillus subtilis JS2 (106 CFU/g), while the other GJ set was fermented without starter. During fermentation for 24 weeks at 15℃, the starter GJs showed 10-fold higher bacilli counts than the no-starter GJs, where the maximum bacilli count was 8 × 103 CFU/g. All 28 bacilli strains isolated from the 6-week GJs were identified as B. subtilis by using a RAPD-PCR, indicating that some of the B. subtilis JS2 cells remained viable. Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and yeasts were present at low levels, 101 -102 CFU/g. LAB with protease activities isolated from 10- week samples were identified as Enterococcus species. The isolates obtained at 16 weeks were all Staphylococcus species. The GJs with bamboo salt showed higher pH and lower titratable acidity (TA) values than the other GJs due to the strong alkalinity of bamboo salt. The amino-type nitrogen in the GJs increased slowly during the fermentation. At 24 weeks, the GJs with purified salt showed the highest amino-type nitrogen (412-430 mg%), followed by the GJs with solar salt (397-406 mg%) and GJs with bamboo salt (264- 276 mg%). Meanwhile, the GJs with bamboo salt showed the highest ammonia-type N (63-67 mg%), followed by the GJs with purified salt (49 mg%) and solar salt (48 mg%).

Comparison of folic acid levels in schizophrenic patients and control groups

Folic acid deficiency is a risk factor for schizophrenia through epidemiology, biochemistry and gene-related studies. Compared with healthy people, schizophrenic patients may have high homocysteine plasma values and homocysteine or low levels of folic acid, which seems to correlate with extrapyramidal motor symptoms caused by neuroleptic therapy and with symptoms of schizophrenia. In this present study, we focus on the difference of folic acid level between schizophrenic patient and control group. The study sample consisted of schizophrenic patients and 14 people in the control group and performed blood sampling to obtain the results of folic acid levels. The folic acid level in both groups was within normal range, but the schizophrenic patient group had lower mean folic acid values of 5.00 ng/ml (sb 1.66), compared with the control group with mean folic acid values of 10.75 ng/ml (sb 4.33). there was the group of the control group had a higher value of folic acid than the schizophrenic group.

Biodiesel Production by Direct Transesterification Process via Sequential Use of Acid–Base Catalysis

It is a well-known fact that energy consumption is rapidly increasing due to population growth, higher standard of living and increased production. A significant amount of energy resources are being consumed by the transportation sector leading to fast depletion of fossil fuels and environmental pollution. Biodiesel is one of the technically and economically feasible options to tackle the aforesaid problems. Biodiesel seems to be a replacement to the diesel and can be commonly produced by two-step esterification–transesterification process. In the current research, single-step process of direct transesterification method is developed and is compared with conventional two-step esterification–transesterification method. The fuel properties of biodiesel produced by these two methods have been studied. The results revealed that fuel properties of biodiesel like calorific value, kinematic viscosity, flash point, density, acid value remained similar in both methods. However, the new method developed is superior with respect to reduced reaction time, lower acid value and increased biodiesel yield. The acid value of biodiesel obtained by single-step and two-step method was found to be 0.1 and 0.25 mg KOH/g, respectively. The new method was able to reduce the reaction time from 5 to 2 h. Yield of biodiesel was increased from 2 to 5% indicating advantages of new method compared to two-step conventional method.

Catalytic Cracking of Soybean Oil for Biofuel over γ-Al2O3/CaO Composite Catalyst

In this paper, we report the catalytic cracking of soybean oil for biofuel over γ-Al2O3/CaO composite catalysts. The influence of catalysts, cracking temperature and weight hourly space velocity (WHSV) on the products distribution were investigated. The maximum yield (70.0 wt.%) of biofuel with low acid value (6.7 mg KOH g-1) and oxygen content (5.6%), as well as high calorific value (44.2 MJ kg-1) was achieved over 35 wt.% γ-Al2O3/CaO at 480 oC and 3.72 h-1. The paper focused on the variation of biofuel composition and cracking pathway caused by γ-Al2O3/CaO composite catalysts via gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and thermogravimetric (TG) analysis. Calcium oxide would react with fatty acid to yield calcium carboxylates at 300-350 oC, which were subsequently decomposed into hydrocarbons (57.9 wt.%) and ketones (22.6 wt.%) at 415-510 oC. As for 35 wt.% γ-Al2O3/CaO, the addition of γ-Al2O3 was beneficial to generate alkenes (38.2 wt.%), arenes (10.6 wt.%) and alcohols (12.3 wt.%) with ketones decreasing (16.5 wt.%) via γ-hydrogen transfer reaction and disproportination.

Chemical composition and thermal properties of Tilapia oil extracted by different methods

ABSTRACTFish oil is beneficial to health and its quality is significantly impacted by the extraction method. To determine the effect of various methods used to extract the oil on its chemical composition and thermal properties, tilapia oil extracted by dilute alkali hydrolysis, enzymatic hydrolysis, and microwave-assisted methods were investigated in this study. Nutrient analyses showed that freeze-dried tilapia contained fat (36.69 g/100 g freeze-dried tilapia), protein (49.95 g/100 g freeze-dried tilapia), ash (12.04 g/100 g freeze-dried tilapia) and moisture (1.21 g/100 g freeze-dried tilapia). Chemical analysis showed that the fish oil extracted by dilute alkali hydrolysis had the lowest acid value (AV) and peroxide value (POV) (AV: 0.77 mg KOH/g oil and POV: 3.76 mmol/kg oil) compared to the oil extracted using the other methods. The main fatty acid components were palmitic acid (22.78–23.16%), oleic acid (25.73–26.19%), and linoleic acid (15.69–15.98%). Furthermore, the oil extracted by dilute alkali hydrolysis showed significantly higher content of DHA+ EPA (2.30%). The thermal behaviors indicated that the aforementioned oils had significantly different crystal structures. The main endothermic peaks of fish oil extracted by dilute alkali hydrolysis, enzymatic hydrolysis and microwave-assisted methods were located at −2.03℃, −3.20℃ and −4.37℃, respectively. However, infrared spectroscopic analyses indicated them had the same characteristic functional groups. Consequently, different extraction methods significantly affect the oil’s physical and chemical properties without affecting spectral characteristics. Furthermore, these results advocated the use of alkali hydrolysis for fish oil extraction.

Ultrasonic-assisted Aqueous Extraction and Physicochemical Characterization of Oil from Clanis bilineata.

Ultrasound-assisted aqueous extraction (UAAE) was used to extract oil from Clanis bilineata (CB), a traditional edible insect that can be reared on a large scale in China, and the physicochemical property and antioxidant capacity of the UAAE-derived oil (UAAEO) were investigated for the first time. UAAE conditions of CB oil was optimized using response surface methodology (RSM) and the highest oil yield (19.47%) was obtained under optimal conditions for ultrasonic power, extraction temperature, extraction time, and ultrasonic interval time at 400 W, 40°C, 50 min, and 2 s, respectively. Compared with Soxhlet extraction-derived oil (SEO), UAAEO had lower acid (AV), peroxide (PV) and p-anisidine values (PAV) as well as higher polyunsaturated fatty acids contents and thermal stability. Furthermore, UAAEO showed stronger antioxidant activities than those of SEO, according to DPPH radical scavenging and β-carotene bleaching tests. Therefore, UAAE is a promising process for the large-scale production of CB oil and CB has a developing potential as functional oil resource.

Solar Drying: A Means of Improving the Quality of Peanuts in Ghana

ABSTRACT An indirect, passive, wooden dryer, with a galvanized steel panel (4.5 m2) and four wire mesh shelves (2.62 m2 each), was constructed in Kumasi, Ghana. The dryer was evaluated for its capacity in drying of freshly-harvested in-shell peanuts on a single layer (8.5 Kg), and then up-scaled to four layers (4x18 Kg). Equal amounts of peanuts, dried simultaneously on a concrete floor under the open sun, served as comparisons. The moisture content of solar dried peanuts decreased from 35.85-5.25% and 32.00 %-4.25% in the single-layer and four-layer drying, respectively, in 4 days. Faster drying rates were observed when peanuts had relatively higher moisture contents with R2 values ranging from 0.72-0.95. The average daily solar radiation ranged from 360-592.99 W/m2 and daily energies generated were from 42.24-69.16 MJ. The drying efficiency ranged from 1.50-6.47% in the single-layer drying and 23.07-24.93% in the four-layer drying whereas the thermal efficiency was 3.15-21.60% in the single-layer drying and 3.08-24.93% in the four-layer drying. Peanuts from the solar dryer had lower free fatty acid and peroxide values but higher germination percentage compared to open sundried peanuts. The study suggests that solar drying can be used effectively for improving peanut safety and preserving peanut quality in Ghana.