Developing and using a methodology for recovering and separating unsaponifables from cottonseed oil deodorizer distillate using a centrifugal molecular distillation process.

摘要

Cottonseed oil deodorizer distillate (CODD) is composed of highly volatile compounds such as tocopherols, phytosterols, and free fatty acids (FFA). Interest in extracting tocopherols and sterols from vegetable oils is increasing for use as antioxidants and additives by the food industry. In this study, recovery of tocopherols and sterols present in CODD was investigated using a centrifugal molecular distillation (CMD). Using a Lab-3 CMD, twenty-five runs were conducted using different evaporator temperatures (140°C--220°C) and feed flow rates (5--15 g/min). The unsaponifiable compounds were quantified using gas chromatography-flame ionization detector after derivatization and silylation to increase their volatility. The optimum condition to produce tocopherols and sterols with minimum FFA content was 165°C at 5 g/min flow rate. It was possible to obtain a material with 12.91% tocopherol and 29.48% sterols from CODD. This methodology resulted in a 85.26% of FFA elimination with an efficient recovery of sterols (95.40%) and tocopherols (81.79%).