Study of deterpenation process of citrus essential oils: liquid-liquid equilibrium data and extraction in perforated rotating discs contactor

Author(s)

Daniel Gonçalves

• Document type: Master's Dissertation
• Press: Pirassununga.
• Institution: Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Faculdade de Zootecnica e Engenharia de Alimentos (FZE/BT)
• Defense date: 2013-03-08

Examining board members

Christianne Elisabete da Costa Rodrigues; Eduardo Augusto Caldas Batista; Elias de Souza Monteiro Filho

• Advisor: Christianne Elisabete da Costa Rodrigues

Abstract

Citrus essential oils are used in a wide variety of applications in various branches of the chemical, pharmaceutical, food and other industries. In the cosmetics industry, specifically in the field of perfumery, natural citrus assets (from the essential oils of bergamot, lemon, lime, mandarin, orange, etc.) are used in the formulations of colonies, moisturizing creams and lotions. Furthermore, these compounds are widely used as flavoring agents in food and pharmaceutical industries and as raw material for the flavor industry. With the aim to improve the quality of essential oils and its flavoring ability, some processes have been developed to enrich the mixture with oxygenated compounds, which are reported as the main responsible for the characteristic aroma of the fruit. Such process is commonly known as deterpenation, and consists in concentration of these compounds by the removal of terpene compounds from the essencial oil and can be performed by liquid or solvent extraction. In this context, the purpose of this dissertation of master\'s degree was to carry out a study of the technical feasibility of deterpenation process of a citrus essential oil model composed by a mixture of limonene and linalool. The experiments of deterpenation were conducted in a perforated rotating discs contactor (PRDC) under controlled conditions of temperature and local environment al pressure. The equipment was operated in continuously and countercurrently mode, using as solvents ethanol solutions with 30 and 40% of water contents (by mass), rotation of discs speed of 150, 200 and 250 rpm and the mass flow rate of the solvent and feed ratio of 0.5, 1.25, 2.5 and 3.0. The behavior of the density and viscosity of the extract and raffinate phases from the extraction column was also evaluated. It was found that the deterpenation of essential oils by liquid-liquid extraction technology is feasible and can be applied to continuous processes using PRDC column extraction type, for instance, being possible to obtain enriched fractions of oxygenated compounds (linalool). (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 10/13286-1 - Study of Deterpenation Process of Citrus Essential Oils: Liquid-liquid Equilibrium Data and Extraction in Perforated Rotating Discs Contactor
• Grantee: Daniel Gonçalves
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master