Technical feasibility of using alcoholic solvents in vegetable oil extraction: Physical-chemical characterization of oil, functional properties of protein fraction and solvent recovery

• Grant number: 13/13339-6
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate
• Start date: November 01, 2013
• End date: June 30, 2017
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Food Science and Technology - Food Engineering
• Principal Investigator: Christianne Elisabete da Costa Rodrigues
• Grantee: Maria Carolina Capellini
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Zootecnia e Engenharia de Alimentos (FZEA). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Pirassununga , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The present proposal of this doctorate thesis has as main purpose the study of the technical feasibility of the solvent replacement commonly used on the process of vegetable oils extraction, known as hexane, by short-chains alcohols, with or without hydration. The proposed solvents in this research, ethanol and isopropanol, are generally recognized as safe (GRAS). Such characteristic is a striking advantage compared to the high toxicity and flammability related to hexane. Furthermore, these solvents, if replaced, can be easily recovered after the process of extraction due to their partial miscibility to the oil at room temperature. Even though some advantages of the hexane replacement by alcoholic solvents are evident, there are some gaps that must be filled through a systematic study of the solid-liquid extraction process. On recent finalized research projects (FAPESP 2009/17855-3, 2010/03058-1 e 2010/13285-5), made by a research group led by the doctoral advisor of this proposal, it was studied appropriate conditions to provide the usage of alcoholic solvents to extract the vegetable oils from solid matrixes. On these projects, the matrixes used were expanded soybean and rice bran in pellets, as an evaluation object, the influence of the variables of the process on the composition of the extract and the quality of the protein fraction indices present in the defatted bran.In this doctorate thesis project is suggested a refinement of the study of indices of the quality from the protein fraction present in the defatted rice bran, after the process of rice bran oil extraction by using alcoholic solvents. These indices will be evaluated based on analyses that describe more deeply the protein fraction and indicate how the operating conditions can influence the functional properties of the protein present in the rice bran protein concentrated that will be produced. On a parallel research will be monitored the physical-chemical features of the oil and the behavior of the protein fraction on the study of the solid-liquid extraction on the sesame seed cake oil, searching for the increase of the extraction income and the appreciation of the defatted material, using the proposed alternative solvents.Moreover, on the next level to the extraction process, it is proposed the study of the liquid-liquid equilibrium as function of temperature to systems composed by sesame oil and solvent. This stage of the project aims the evaluation of the operation of the partial recovery of the alcoholic solvent contained in the extract and the study of the partitioning of minor compounds of nutritional interest contained in the sesame oil, such as sesamin.

Scientific publications

(4)

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

CAPELLINI, MARIA C.; GONCALVES, DANIEL; SOARES, INGRID D.; ALMEIDA, CAMILA H.; MARGOTO, CRISTIANE M.; KOSHIMA, CRISTINA C.; RODRIGUES, CHRISTIANNE E. C.. Solvent recovery from systems containing crude sesame seed oil and short-chain alcohols at different temperatures and local pressure. JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL THERMODYNAMICS, v. 156, MAY 2021. (18/13207-6, 18/12713-5, 14/21252-0, 13/13339-6, 14/09446-4)

CAPELLINI, MARIA C.; CHIAVOLONI, LARISSA; GIACOMINI, VANESSA; RODRIGUES, CHRISTIANNE E. C.. Alcoholic extraction of sesame seed cake oil: Influence of the process conditions on the physicochemical characteristics of the oil and defatted meal proteins. Journal of Food Engineering, v. 240, p. 145-152, JAN 2019. (13/13339-6, 14/09446-4, 14/21252-0, 17/20840-4)

CAPELLINI, MARIA C.; NOVAIS, JULIANA S.; MONTEIRO, RAFAELLA F.; VEIGA, BRUNO Q.; OSIRO, DENISE; RODRIGUES, CHRISTIANNE E. C.. Thermal, structural and functional properties of rice bran defatted with alcoholic solvents. JOURNAL OF CEREAL SCIENCE, v. 95, SEP 2020. (13/13339-6, 14/21252-0, 14/09446-4, 18/12713-5, 17/20840-4)

CAPELLINI, MARIA C.; GIACOMINI, VANESSA; CUEVAS, MAITE S.; RODRIGUES, CHRISTIANNE E. C.. Rice bran oil extraction using alcoholic solvents: Physicochemical characterization of oil and protein fraction functionality. INDUSTRIAL CROPS AND PRODUCTS, v. 104, p. 133-143, OCT 1 2017. (14/09446-4, 13/13339-6, 14/21252-0, 10/13285-5)

Academic Publications

(References retrieved automatically from State of São Paulo Research Institutions)

CAPELLINI, Maria Carolina. Technical feasibility of the use of alcoholic solvents in vegetable oils extraction: physical-chemical characterization of oil, protein fraction functionalities and solvent recovery. 2017. Doctoral Thesis - Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Faculdade de Zootecnica e Engenharia de Alimentos (FZE/BT) Pirassununga.