Vegetable Oil Processing Research Articles

Quality control in the production process of sunflower oil

The typical problem of vegetable oil processing is to ensure the consistency of the output quality. The one parameter that mostly affects quality is the presence of wax, which commands control at all stages of the process (refinement, odours removal, freezing). Statistical methods of analysis can be usefully applied to the improvement of vegetable oil processing, as demonstrated by this study. The authors in fact used statistical methods in order to: a) optimize parameters consistency, b) enhance process efficiency, c) improve economic performance and finally, d) assess process stability. The following statistical tools were used in the study: 1) Histograms, 2) Shewhart Charts, 3) Ishikawa Diagrams and, 4) Pareto Chart. A first major finding was that the occurrence of process flaws that would result in product rejection had a 5% probability of happening at all stages of the process. Moreover, the analysis of process stability with maps of average values and ranges leads to the finding that the process itself is statistically unstable. Finally, cause-and-effect relationships of influencing factors (such as the quality of feedstock) were investigated, thus determining the main causes of flaw in the production process. This leads to the definition of corrective actions, the effectiveness of which was then investigated and evaluated.

THE ASSOCIATION OF ORGANISATIONAL CULTURE AND ORGANISATIONAL COMMITMENT WITH JOB SATISFACTION: PERSPECTIVE OF THE MALAYSIAN VEGETABLE OIL PROCESSING SECTOR

The present study has sought to contribute to the growing knowledge base pertaining to the increasing trend in the high employee turnover rate in Malaysia’s manufacturing industry and challenges faced by organisations in retaining talented workforce arising from the job satisfaction issue. In such a perspective, this study examines the association of organisational culture and organisational commitment with job satisfaction. Insufficient research is available on these associations within the context of the Malaysian vegetable oil processing sector; thus, this study has aimed to add new knowledge to the existing literature. A quantitative research approach, namely a cross-sectional survey, was utilised to gather data from the sample population who were employed in vegetable oil processing factories in Pasir Gudang, Johor. The participants were chosen via the simple random sampling approach. Pearson correlation and linear regression analysis methods were utilised to analyse the associations among the variables. The highest correlation was revealed between adhocracy culture and normative commitment. Regression analysis findings demonstrated a positive significant association between all dimension’s variables of organisational culture and organisational commitment on job satisfaction. Overall, the study has provided comprehensive insights for the vegetable oil processing organisations to review the culture in their company that could enhance organisational members’ commitment and job satisfaction.

Membrane technology for vegetable oil processing-Current status and future prospects.

Vegetable oil processing has been identified as one of the potential nonaqueous applications of membrane technology. Membrane-based processing has been largely attempted on individual steps of the conventional refining process with reasonable success. With the advent of organic-solvent-nanofiltration, membrane desolventizing of hexane oil miscella has received greater attention, revitalizing the prospects of integrated membrane processing. A practical evaluation of membrane augmented desolventizing revealed that approximately 65% energy savings towards solvent evaporation could be achieved in an industrial environment. Further, a pragmatic appraisal advocated that an integrated membrane process with a focus on pretreatment and desolventizing along with physical refining would be a desirable approach for fortifying the benefits. The present review intends to channelize the efforts to overcome the current limitations and highlights the importance of developing better membranes, process evaluation under appropriate practical conditions, and developing suitable cleaning protocols for stable performance. In the case of alternate solvents to hexane, membrane solvent recovery would be a favorable approach to overcome the limitation of associated higher thermal energy requirements. Nevertheless, solvent selection should be based on a composite evaluation of extraction and membrane desolventizing, specific to the type of oil. Finally, a comprehensive process scheme has been proposed to realize the benefits in extraction-refining plants. In this direction, a few pilot demonstration plants need to be established and operated for 1-2 years to understand and overcome the practical difficulties and limitations of the technology, leading to its industrial adoption.

Liquid–liquid equilibrium calculations of systems containing vegetable oil + fatty acids + ethanol + water using new parameters for the unifac subgroups of ethanol and water

Deacidification removes free fatty acids (FFA) from crude vegetable oils during the refining process. The removal of FFA carried out by liquid–liquid extraction has some advantages over chemical and physical refining processes: it saves energy and decreases neutral oil losses caused by undesirable chemical reactions. The knowledge of phase equilibrium behavior of systems involving vegetable oils, solvents, and FFA is necessary to design and optimize the liquid–liquid extraction processes for deacidification. In this context, the present work aims to predict the liquid–liquid equilibrium (LLE) for systems consisting of vegetable oil + fatty acids + ethanol + water, readjusting new UNIFAC interaction parameters just for the ethanol and water subgroups. Several experimental LLE data for multicomponent fatty systems available in the literature are used to adjust the new UNIFAC interaction parameters for the ethanol (EtOH) and water subgroups. The temperature range studied was 288.15 K to 323.15 K, at atmospheric pressure. The new 18 interaction parameters provide a considerably lower mean square error (0.87%) than the other works available in the literature. The results show that the developed procedures improve the capacity of the UNIFAC method to predict LLE for systems involved in the deacidification process of crude vegetable oil. The methodology employed in this work results in reduced computational calculations and a relatively small split with the complex dataset established by the UNIFAC-LL model.

Comparison of acid degumming methods and their influence on the formation of 3-MCPD-esters and glycidyl esters in sunflower oil deodorization

Degumming is the first stage in processing of vegetable oils, and it is aimed at removing phospholipids. The article compares the results of degumming by phosphoric and citric acids, their effects on the extraction of calcium and magnesium ions from oils, these ions being the main components of nonhydratable phospholipids. We showed the appropriateness of combining citric and succinic acids (the final content of phospholipids in oil was 0.034%, whereas it was equal to 0.048% when citric acid was used) and citric and ascorbic acids (the final content of phospholipids in oil was 0.040%). We studied the effect of acid degumming on the formation of 3-MCPD-esters and glycidyl esters. The content of glycidyl esters after degumming with citric acid and phosphoric acid was 310 g kg–1 and 200 g kg–1, respectively. After degumming with citric acid and phosphoric acid, the content of 3-MCPD-esters in the deodorized oil was 680 g kg–1 and 470 g kg–1, respectively. On the contrary, aqueous degumming does not increase the content of these esters in the deodorized sunflower oil (the content is less than 100 g kg–1) and its implementation can be recommended as one of the ways to prevent the formation of these toxic substances during deodorization.

Process simulation of biodiesel production from vegetable oil deodorization distillate using hydrotalcite-hydroxyapatite as catalyst

In There are few simulation studies in the literature focusing on the production of biodiesel from vegetable oil deodorization distillate (VODD), a waste originating from the vegetable oil processing stage, using hydrotalcite-hydroxyapatite as a heterogeneous catalyst. In this study, the simulation process was performed using open interface software DWSIM® Version 6.3. The motivation relied on the positive performance of the catalyst during the experimental studies. So, in the simulator design, the lipid raw material, ethanol, and the catalyst were fed together in a CSTR-01 conversion reactor. The thermodynamic fluid package used for this process was the Non-Random Two-Liquid (NRTL) activity coefficient model. The process flowchart consisted of the reaction step (oil transesterification), and separation steps of the ethyl esters produced, excess ethanol and purification of biodiesel. As a result, different scenarios were simulated, using commercial soybean oil as a comparative form, different types of catalysts and different molar ratios of alcohol and VODD. Among the main differences between the simulated cases, it was demonstrated that the excess of alcohol (1:45) caused greater quantity of VODD consumption, and consequently the greater formation of ethyl esters (biodiesel), resulting higher conversions (> 95%). In addition, the results obtained confirmed the adequacy of VODD as a potential raw material to produce biodiesel, as it is relatively cheaper than edible oils and contributes to the use of waste. Thus, confirming that the chemical catalyst was able to form the main esters of fatty acids even using a residual raw material.

Statistical Optimization of Poly-β-Hydroxybutyrate Biosynthesis Using the Spent Mushroom Substrate by Bacillus tequilensis PSR-2

Poly-β-hydroxybutyrate (PHB) belonging to the polyhydroxyalkanoates family is a natural polyester used as a biodegradable plastic for various commercial applications. In this study, soil samples from the vegetable oil processing industry were used to screen for PHB-producing bacteria using Sudan black B staining. Among the isolated bacteria, PHB positive PSR-2 isolate was chosen as a potent PHB producer. The phylogenetic tree revealed that the PSR-2 isolate has a high 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity of 99.9% with Bacillus tequilensis. The PHB content of 2.8 ± 0.09 g/L was produced by PSR-2 isolate in 48 h in a nutrient broth medium containing 1% glucose compared to the PHB production of 1.6 ± 0.08% by the reference strain, Bacillus circulans. Taguchi method was used to optimize PHB production using the alkali-pretreated spent mushroom substrate of sugarcane bagasse (SMS-SB) as an additional carbon substrate along with other energy sources. The optimized factors in the contribution of PHB production from the highest- to the lowest-ranking are as follows: alkali-pretreated SMS-SB, glucose, glycerol, peptone, ammonium chloride, and potassium dihydrogen phosphate at 30 oC, pH 7.0, which resulted in the production of 12.4 ± 0.95 g/L PHB was higher than the predicted value of 11.59 g/L. The synthesized PHB was characterized using Ultraviolet–visible spectrophotometry, Fourier transform infrared spectrometry, differential scanning calorimetry, thermogravimetric analysis, nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The results revealed the presence of hydroxyl (–OH), methyl (–CH3), methine (=CH–), methylene (–CH2–) and ester carbonyl (>C=O) groups, which confirmed the PHB structure. Thus, alkali-pretreated SMS-SB plays a significant role as an energy substrate for the production of PHB. This gives the knowledge to utilize cost-effective lignocellulosic agro-waste materials as a feedstock for the sustainable production of biodegradable PHB for many biomedical applications.

Method for controlling reaction mass parameters during the synthesis of alkyd resins

Synthesis of alkyd resins is one of the most common technological processes for deep processing of vegetable oils. In Russia, about 700 thousand tons of alkyd resins are produced per year; so much attention is paid to improving the production process of alkyd resins. Production of synthesis of alkyd resins can be classified as fire and explosive hazardous. One of the main reasons for the high level of accidents in the synthesis of alkyd lacquers and resins is the lack of digitalization of control and management of synthesis. This paper discusses the possibility of using changes in the electrical properties of the reaction mass to control the flow of a chemical synthesis reaction. The principal difference between the proposed approach is that it is proposed to use measurements of DC values directly in the technological process. Studies have shown that it is more promising to use the analysis of the values of the complex resistance module of the reaction mass for the purposes of synthesis control. The advantage of this solution is that the method is more informative, as observations are made in a two-dimensional space of complex values rather than in a one-dimensional one. When using high-frequency alternating current, the module and phase of the complex resistance of the reaction mass are controlled, as well as a number of other parameters (leakage current, q-factor, etc.)

Cost-effectiveness of decarbonisation options for the vegetable-oil and -fat industry in the Netherlands

There is significant emission reduction potential in the Dutch vegetable oil and fat industry, which consists of seven companies each producing more than 10 kt CO2 per year, emitting a total of 0.36 Mt CO2 in 2018. Marginal Abatement Cost (MAC) curves are constructed to provide an overview of the most cost-effective decarbonisation options. Both energy efficiency technologies and alternative heating systems are combined in order to achieve technological configurations for full decarbonisation of this industry. Energy consumption for vegetable oil processing can be reduced by 44% for rapeseed oil, 45% soybean oil, and 57% for palm oil. Vertical Ice Condensing is the most cost-effective decarbonisation option, while biogas boilers are the most cost-effective alternative heating systems that can supply energy in all stages of production. However, the availability of processing residues limits the energy substitution possible with biogas boilers. Electric boilers are therefore required to deliver the residual energy necessary to realise zero carbon emissions. Together the cost-effective decarbonisation options can abate between 38% and 40% of the total CO2 emissions by 2020 and 2030 respectively.

TRANSESTERIFICATION OF VEGETABLE OILS’ TRIGLYCERIDES BY THE HEAD FRACTION OF ETHYL ALCOHOL

The regularities of sunflower, rapeseed and flaxseed oils’ triglycerides transesterification by the head fraction of ethyl alcohol in the presence of various catalysts have been investigated. The cation exchange resin KU-2-8 in H+-form and cation exchange resin KU-2-8 containing an immobilized Cu2+-ions (untreated and treated by 0,1 M sodium hydroxide solution for 90 min and for 7 days) were used as catalyst. It was shown that the all investigated catalysts except the untreated cation exchange resin KU-2-8 containing an immobilized Cu2+-ions allow to achieve of triglycerides conversion over 90 % under the reaction conditions. It was found that the catalyst KU-2-8 containing an immobilized Cu2+-ions treated by 0.1 M sodium hydroxide solution for 90 min shows the highest activity. Also it was found that this catalyst allows to achieve triglyceride conversion all of studied vegetable oils over 99.5% in 180 min of reaction. Simultaneously it was found that the highest rate of transesterification reaction in its presence is observed. The influence of these catalysts on the esterification reaction of free fatty acids, present in vegetable oils, by ethyl alcohol, present in the head fraction, was studied. It was established that the influence of the investigated catalysts on the esterification reaction is different. It was shown that cation exchange resin KU-2-8 containing an immobilized Cu2+-ions treated by 0.1 M sodium hydroxide solution for 90 min catalyzes the esterification reaction of free fatty acids of all investigated oils. Their conversion is from 21.6 % (in sunflower oil) up to 74.1 % (in rapeseed oil). At the same time, it was found that long-term treatment of cation exchange resin KU-2-8 containing an immobilized Cu2+-ions by sodium hydroxide solution leads to a sharp decrease or loss of catalyst activity in the esterification reaction of free fatty acids by ethyl alcohol. It was shown that the use of this catalyst for the transesterification of rapeseed and sunflower oils’ triglycerides even increases the acid number of the reaction mixture, namely to the partial hydrolysis of triglycerides. The obtained results show that the short-term treatment the cation exchange resin KU-2-8 containing an immobilized Cu2+-ions by 0.1 M alkali solution is one of the ways that allow to increase its catalytic activity in the transesterification process of vegetable oils by head fraction of ethyl alcohol. It is assumed that such treatment affects the catalytic activity of Cu2+-ions due to changes in the electron density on the catalyst cation caused the coordination of part of the OH–-anions. The long-term treatment of the cation exchange resin containing an immobilized Cu2+-ions by alkali solution causes a maximum saturation of the cation coordination sphere. This obviously creates steric problem of a reagents access to the catalyst and reduces the catalytic activity cation exchange resin.

Effects of chain length and saturation of triglycerides on cellular antioxidant activity of vegetable oil emulsions

In this study, the cellular antioxidant activity (CAA) of α-tocopherol and γ-oryzanol was determined in two typical oil bases, namely rice bran oil base (RBOB) with long-chain unsaturated triglycerides and coconut oil base (CNOB) with medium-chain saturated triglycerides. The results showed that α-tocopherol and γ-oryzanol exhibited significantly higher CAA values in CNOB. In order to further explore the mechanism, glyceryl trioleate (GLT) and medium chain triglycerides (MCT) with similar structures to RBOB and CNOB respectively were added and compared. It was found that long-chain unsaturated triglycerides (RBOB and GLT) in emulsions exhibited lower CAA values than medium-chain saturated triglycerides (CNOB and MCT), though the former presented higher cellular uptake of minor constituents. It was speculated that unsaturated bond tended to be attacked by free radicals to initiate an oxidative chain reaction in HepG2 cells resulting in lipid peroxidation, thus depleted more antioxidants. Overall, these findings provided useful reference for further developing the production and processing of vegetable oil for better stability.

Identification of β-carotene oxidation products produced by bleaching clay using UPLC-ESI-MS/MS

The removal of plant pigments such as β-carotene is an aspect of vegetable oil processing often desired by the food and pharmaceutical industries. Adsorption of β-carotene to acid-activated clay (AAC) is a well-established method for purification. Despite this, the removal mechanism of β-carotene is not well understood. UPLC-MS/MS analysis of surface compounds extracted from β-carotene-AAC (BC-AAC) complexes show that AAC acts as an oxidiser. Oxidation products detected included canthaxanthin and 3′,4′-didehydro-β-caroten-4-one. AAC had surface water exchanged with an 18O labelled water and was then exposed to β-carotene. Carotenoids labelled with 18O were produced from this reaction, suggesting surface water is necessary for β-carotene removal.

Kinetics of Biodiesel Production from Soya Bean Soap Stock

Low quality lipids such as soyabeanrsoapstock, a by-product of vegetable oil processing can be used as a viable feedstock for the production of biodiesel due to its high yield capacity, availability, and low cost. Sodium hydroxide and methanol were used as catalyst and solvent respectively while n–hexane was added as a co-solvent. Kinetics of the transesterification reaction mechanismfor soyabeansoapstock with and without co-solvent (n-hexane) was carried out using models proposed by Singh & Fernando, (2007) to determine the reaction order and rate constant at different temperatures (45°C, 55°C and 65°C). Similar rate constants were obtained (with and without co-solvent) though with slightly different R² values showing that n-hexane does not distort the chemistry of the reaction. Negative and very low R² values obtained at temperatures 45°C and 65°C further affirms 55°C as the optimum temperature for the reaction. An activation energy of 74 KJ/mol and frequency factor of 2.9 was also obtained. Findings from the studyshows that soyabeansoapstock is a viable feedstock for the production of biodiesel and n-hexane was a suitable co-solvent in the transesterification of low quality lipids (soyabean soap stock). A rate constant of 0.0008 min^-1 and reaction order of 2 was obtained for the transesterification reaction.

Potencial de oleaginosas nativas no desenvolvimento de cadeias produtivas da biodiversidade brasileira

Este artigo analisa e avalia os óleos da biodiversidade brasileira como potenciais indutores para o desenvolvimento de uma nova cadeia produtiva baseada nos produtos florestais não madeireiros e sua contribuição na transição para a bioeconomia. Primeiramente, o trabalho analisa dois modelos diferentes de produção, processamento e mercado de óleos vegetais, sendo um deles, o azeite de oliva na Comunidade Europeia. Este modelo indica caminhos para o aprimoramento da cadeia de valor dos óleos da biodiversidade brasileira. Em seguida, analisa-se o estado da arte do mercado brasileiro de óleos da biodiversidade e das políticas públicas de apoio à cadeia produtiva da sociobiodiversidade. Além disso, são descritas as características mercadológicas e tecnológicas das principais matérias-primas para a produção de óleos de produtos florestais não madeireiros, com destaque para os óleos da castanha-do-brasil e do babaçu. Os resultados indicam que esses óleos podem desempenhar um papel relevante para o aprimoramento da cadeia produtiva dos óleos da biodiversidade brasileira, porém identificou-se uma lacuna científica e tecnológica para o processo de extração e refino desses óleos vegetais. Esses avanços tecnológicos podem contribuir para a conservação dos biomas brasileiros, agregando valor aos produtos processados. Além dos desafios tecnológicos e de mercado para a produção de óleos da biodiversidade brasileira, a organização dessa cadeia de valor ainda exige um arcabouço institucional, legal, intersetorial e de confiança que estimule os atores a superar as atuais dificuldades da atividade extrativista. Como exemplo de quadro intersetorial, as indústrias brasileiras de higiene pessoal e farmacêutica, que conseguem uma diferenciação de mercado pela utilização de ativos vegetais como os óleos, extratos e/ou tinturas, demandam altos investimentos em PD&I e, pelas características brasileiras, ganha relevância as parcerias e alianças entre empresas, universidades e institutos de pesquisa, e pequenas empresas locais. Concluindo, o trabalho recomenda arranjos sócio produtivos que integrem cooperativas e associações de comunidades locais, universidades e institutos de pesquisa, indústrias e instituições governamentais, a fim de tornar a biodiversidade brasileira um eixo estratégico para o desenvolvimento sustentável. No nível local, esse arranjo social poderia promover unidades descentralizadas de processamento de óleos vegetais e um rótulo ecológico específico para os produtos da sociobiodiversidade brasileira.

Research of the process of vegetable oil extracting under the influence of a high frequency wave field

Research in a laboratory press equipped with an ultrasonic vibrator was performed to study the nature of a high frequency wave field influence on the process of vegetable oil extracting from safflower seeds. The initial moisture content of safflower seeds, the rotational speed of the press screw, the frequency and amplitude of ultrasonic vibrations have the greatest influence on the oil yield and the cake residual oil content. The analysis of the dependences obtained showed that the parameters of the safflower seed pressing process, the values of which could be varied during the experiments, affect the oil yield identically, namely, with an increase in the rotational speed of the press screw, the oil yield decreases and, consequently, the cake oil content increases. It was found out that moisture content raising increases the oil yield and reduces the residual oil content. Moreover, the most rational value of moisture content in terms of absolutely dry matter is 8.7…11.2%. It was revealed that an increase in the pressure given to the product in the press occurs with a decrease in the effective viscosity inside the surface layer of the mass being pressed due to ultrasonic vibrations imposition. The following parameters should be focused on as rational parameters for safflower seeds pressing providing the minimum residual oil content in the cake: the ultrasonic waves frequency is 22…28 kHz, the amplitude is more than 40 • 10−3 m and the pressure value in the press is from 12…13 MPa. These values obviously depend directly on the grain behavior and its movement in the press during exposure to high-frequency ultrasonic vibrations.

Facile synthesis Cobalt catalysts for regulating the deoxygenation pathways in producing diesel-like hydrocarbon fuels

The key technical issues for establishing an economical and advanced deoxygenation process of vegetable oil for producting the diesel-like hydrocarbons are to develop the low-cost non-sulfided heterogeneous catalytic systems with good performance. Herein, we report two facile strategies for preparing Co-based catalysts in an effort to explore the highly efficient heterogeneous catalysts for the deoxygenation of laurate ester. Interestingly, the deoxygenation paths can be regulated by altering the synthesized methods of the Co-based catalysts. For example, the Co-MOF-700 catalyst prepared via pyrolysis of one cobalt metal-organic framework (Co-MOF: [Co(tia)(H2O)2]n, tia2− = 5-(1H-1,2,3-triazol-1-yl) isophthalate) at 700 °C under N2 atmosphere for 4 h can orient the catalytic hydrogenation of laurate ester towards decarboxylation/decarbonylation with full conversion and 67.6% selectivity of undecane. While, Co/ZSM-5 synthesized through impregnation-reduction method can promote transformation of methyl laurate to dodecane via hydrodeoxygenation path, in which the conversion and selectivity can be up to 100% and79.12%, respectively.

Dynamic modeling and simulation of three-phase reactors for hydrocracking of vegetable oils

A dynamic, plug-flow, one-dimensional, and heterogeneous mathematical model for a trickle-bed reactor is described and used to simulate the catalytic hydrocracking of non-edible vegetable oil with countercurrent operation mode. The reactor model considers the hydrocracking reaction of triglycerides towards renewable fuels, which is present in the hydrotreatment process of vegetable oils. The dynamic model was first validated using experimental data reported in the literature, which were obtained in an isothermal micro-scale reactor with cocurrent downflow during hydrocracking of Jatropha oil over a commercial CoMo catalyst. Then, the three-phase reactor model was applied to predict the dynamic behavior of an industrial hydrocracking reactor in order to gain some insight into the transient behavior of the liquid molar concentration, partial pressure, and temperature profiles, which were obtained and discussed as a function of time and axial position of the catalytic bed. The simulations obtained with the proposed dynamic model showed good agreement with the experimental data and trends previously reported for the operation variables profiles at steady-state and relevant findings at industrial scale were obtained. One of the main challenges to produce biofuels by vegetable oils hydroprocessing is to control the high-temperature gradients along the catalyst bed because of the high reaction heat released; therefore, the development of dynamic trickle-bed reactor models, as shown in this work, can be used as a tool to predict the operational behavior of the unit under different reaction conditions and layouts to found the best scheme to control the effects by high-temperature rise.

The economic evaluation of establishing a plant for producing biodiesel from edible oil wastes in oil-rich countries: Case study Iran

In this investigation, three chemical processes for biodiesel production evaluated based on the financial standpoint. Due to its strongness and flexibility in economic evaluations, the COMFAR III software utilized for assessing processes. The alkali catalyzed process using virgin vegetable oil (process I), an-acid catalyzed process utilizing waste cooking oil (process II), and two-step supercritical methanol process using waste cooking oil (process III) considered as three deferent chemical processes and financial analyzes applied on all processes. The results of financial evaluation revealed that the process II with 2.992 million $, had the lowest manufacturing prices and with 7.541 million $ net present value would be considered as the most attractive proposal for investment. However, concerning total equipment costs of process III (1.141 million $) and its fixed investment prices (2.158 million $), this process selected as the most economically attractive process. In the next step, to evaluate the impacts of increased sales revenue, reduction in fixed assets, and operating costs on net present value, a sensitivity analysis was carried out. Sensitivity evaluation revealed that alteration in operating costs significantly impacts the net present value, and this significant change is more tangible in the process III.

Determination of Physicochemical and Functional Properties of Coconut Oil by Incorporating Bioactive Compounds in Selected Spices.

Lipid oxidation has been identified as a major deterioration process of vegetable oils, which leads to the production of primary and secondary oxidative compounds that are harmful to human health. Oleoresins of ginger, garlic, nutmeg, pepper, cloves, and cinnamon were extracted and incorporated into coconut oil, and change occurrence on physicochemical properties, thermal stability, shelf life, and antioxidant activity was monitored against the same properties of pure coconut oil. Lipid oxidation was assessed in terms of the free fatty acid level and peroxide value. For the comparison purpose, another oil sample was prepared by incorporating vitamin E too. Results revealed that both peroxide value and FFA of pure and flavored coconut oil samples after a one-week storage period were 3.989 ± 0.006 and 3.626 ± 0.002 mEq/kg and 0.646 ± 0.001 and 0.604 ± 0.002 (%), respectively. Saponification value, iodine value, smoke point, and the flashpoint of flavored oil were decreased while increasing the viscosity during storage. The highest phenolic content and DPPH free radical scavenging activity were found in flavored coconut oil. Since spices containing antioxidants, the thermal stability of flavored oil was better than that of pure coconut oil. Both oleoresins and vitamin E-incorporated samples showed the same pattern of increment of FFA and peroxide value during storage; however, those increments were slower than those of pure coconut oil.

A novel lecithin:cholesterol acyltransferase for soybean oil refining provides higher yields and extra nutritional value with a cleaner process.

The growing demand for food and biofuels urges the vegetable oil processing industry to adopt cleaner technologies to mitigate the environmental pollution caused by chemical refining processes. Over the past decade, several enzymatic methods have proven to be efficient at reducing the generated waste, but improving the benefit-cost ratio is still necessary for the widespread adoption of this technology. In this work, we show that lecithin:cholesterol acyltransferase from Aeromonas enteropelogenes (LCATAE) provides a higher extra-yield of soybean oil than a type A1 phospholipase (PLA) enzyme currently commercialized for soybean oil deep degumming. Our model indicates that crude soybean oil treated with the new enzyme generates 87% more neutral oil from phospholipids than the widely used PLA, with the corresponding reduction in waste and byproducts generation. The refined oil retains the phytosterols naturally present in crude oil, enriching its nutritional value. The results presented here position LCATAE as a promising candidate to provide the green solutions needed by the industrial oil processing sector. Key points • Selected LCAT gene candidates were expressed in E. coli. • Aeromonas enteropelogenes LCAT hydrolyzes all the phospholipids present in crude soybean oil. • The LCAT enzyme provides a higher yield of neutral oil than commercial PLA enzymes and generates less waste. • The degummed oil retains sterols with high nutritional value.