Cleaner production technologies for the palm oil industry

This paper discusses some potential cleaner production technologies for the palm oil industry. These include supercritical fluid extraction, short path distillation and membrane separation. Over the last two decades, palm oil and minor components especially phytonutrients such as carotenoids, tocols (tocopherols and tocotrienols), sterols, squalene and phospholipids have received much attention for their nutritional properties. The recovery of these phytonutrients is a challenging task because (i) some of them (e. g. carotenoids and vitamin E) are sensitive to heat, light and air; (ii) they are of different polarity, from non‐polar (e. g. squalene) to relatively polar (e. g. phospholipids) and (iii) they are of differing molecular weights. Suitable technologies are needed to recover all these phytonutrients without damage. The paper discusses the latest development of these technologies.     

Lipase catalyzed synthesis of neutral glycerides rich in micronutrients from rice bran oil fatty acid distillate

Neutral glycerides with micronutrients like sterols, tocopherols and squalene may be prepared from cheap raw material like rice bran oil fatty acid distillate (RBO FAD). RBO FAD is an important byproduct of vegetable oil refining industries in the physical refining process. Glycerides like triacylglycerols (TAG), diacylglycerols (DAG) and monoacylglycerols (MAG) containing significant amounts of unsaponifiable matter like sterols, tocopherols and hydrocarbons (mainly squalene) may certainly be considered as novel functional food ingredients. Fatty acids present in RBO FAD were esterified with glycerol of varying amount (1:0.33, 1:0.5, 1:1 and 1:1.5 of FAD : glycerol ratio) for 8 h using non-specific enzyme NS 40013 (Candida antartica). After esterification the product mixture containing mono, di- and triglycerides was purified by molecular distillation to remove excess free fatty acids and also other volatile undesirable components. The purified product containing sterols, tocopherols and squalene can be utilized in various food formulations.     

Solvent efficiency for oil extraction from spent bleaching clay

Various alcohols and hydrocarbons were used as solvents to extract the residual oil in spent bleaching clay from palm oil refining. The content of oil and minor components in the spent clay was >40% by weight. The efficiencies of extraction by the polar alcohols, except for methanol, were higher but with a slower initial rate than the nonpolar hydrocarbons. The free fatty acids contents, the Totox values (anisidine value+2 x peroxide value), and the color of the alcohol-extracted oil were also higher than that by the hydrocarbons resulting in poorer quality oils. All the extracted oils, irrespective of the solvent used, have poorer quality than crude palm oil. However, for regeneration of the residual spent clay, the polar alcohols should be more suitable as more of the impurities are removed.     

Enrichment of carotene from palm oil by organic solvent nanofiltration

Palm oil is one of the richest sources of natural plant carotene with typical concentration of about 0.5–0.7 g/L. Unfortunately, during physical refining of palm oil, most of the carotenes were destroyed by high temperatures and this represents a loss of potential source of natural carotene. Various techniques have been developed to extract and recover carotenes from palm oil, however these processes often require high energy usage, and usually renders the oil useless for further consumption. Recently, organic solvent nanofiltration (OSN) has become an important method for molecular separation particularly for the separation of low molecular weight bioactive compounds. This work presents the application of OSN membranes for the separation of carotene from a crude palm oil/solvent system. Several commercial OSN membranes (DuraMem and PuraMem series) fabricated from polyimide were evaluated for their separation abilities. PuraMem 280 showed the best selectivity performance, with the concentration of carotene in permeate oil increased from 0.60 to 0.79 g/L when hexane was used as the solvent. Runs by using DuraMem 150, DuraMem 300 and DuraMem 500 showed low or no selectivity between carotene and triglyceride in all solvents. It was found that the rejection of carotene depends strongly on the type of solvents. A coupled solution diffusion and film theory was also utilized to model carotene transport through OSN membrane. It was demonstrated that OSN can serve as an alternative for the direct carotene recovery from palm oil and can be potentially applied for other minor compounds recovery from vegetable oils.     

Minor Constituents in Canola Oil Processed by Traditional and Minimal Refining Methods

The minimal refining method described in the present study made it possible to neutralize crude canola oil with Ca(OH)₂, MgO, and Na₂SiO₃ as alternatives to NaOH. After citric acid degumming, about 98 % of the phosphorous content was removed from crude oil. The free fatty acid content after minimal neutralization with Ca(OH)₂ decreased from 0.50 to 0.03 %. Other quality parameters, such as peroxide value, anisidine value, and chlorophyll content, after traditional and minimal neutralization were within industrial acceptable levels. The use of Trisyl silica and Magnesol R60 made it feasible to remove the hot-water washing step and decreased the amount of residual soap to <10 mg/kg oil. There were no significant changes in chemical characteristics of canola oil after using wet and dry bleaching methods. During traditional neutralization, the total tocopherol loss was 19.6 %, while minimal refining with Ca(OH)₂, MgO, and Na₂SiO₃ resulted in 7.0, 2.6, and 0.9 % reductions in total tocopherols. Traditional refining removed 23.6 % of total free sterols, while after minimal refining free sterols content did not change. Both traditional and minimal refining resulted in almost complete removal of polyphenols from canola oil. Total phytosterols and tocopherols in two cold-pressed canola oils were 774 and 836 mg/100 g, and 366 and 354 mg/kg, respectively. The minimal refining method described in the present study was a new practical approach to remove undesirable components from crude canola oil meeting commercial refining standards while preserving more healthy minor components.     

Growth potential for soybean oil products as industrial materials

Crude soybean oil, as a major source of edible oil for the world, is available on such a scale that it serves additionally as the origin for many industrial applications and for such materials as phospholipids (lecithins, cephalins), tocopherols (for vitamin E), sterols (for pharmaceuticals) and recovered fatty acids from acidulated soapstocks. The latter always have offered the oleochemicals manufacturer a low cost source of valuable fatty acids, and soybean oil itself, after hydrogenation, serves as the most readily available, lowest cost source of 90% stearic acid from among all fats and oils. As an alternative to alkali refining and the soapstock produced, physical refining of the degummed soybean oil is a potential source for fatty acids and for recovery of larger amounts of valuable sterols and tocopherols, but this process severely degrades the oxidation stability of the fatty acids. The largest potentials for growth in industrial applications are for soybean oil itself in pesticide dispersion and grain dust control; triglycerides and fatty acids split therefrom for 90% stearate oleochemicals and selected food additivies; fatty acids from soapstocks up-graded medium-grade oleochemicals, medium-grade soaps for industrial cleaning operations, and in animal feeds and pet foods; phospholipid gums in fractionated and modified lecithins and cephalins; soy deodorizer distillates containing α-to copherol (vitamin E) and sterol-derived sex hormones. Inclusion of food additives, feed and pet food additives with the more usual industrial markets results in the conclusion that industrial utilization of soybean oil could reach 12% of total consumption in the U.S. within five years.     

Effect of the full refining process on rice bran oil composition and its heat stability

The effects of the chemical refining process on the minor compounds of rice bran oil and its heat stability were investigated. After 8 h of heating, about 50% and 30% of total tocopherols remained in crude and refined rice bran oil, respectively. The individual tocopherols were differently affected by the refining process. The order of heat stability of tocopherols and tocotrienols in crude oil was found to be different from that in fully refined oil. A similar tendency was observed for sterols. After 8 h of heating, 65% and 72% of total sterols, and 14% and 46% of sterol esters, of crude or fully refined rice bran oil, respectively, disappeared. The heating process led to a 4% and 10.3% increase in polymer contents in crude and refined rice bran oil, respectively. Although refined rice bran oil showed good heat stability, when compared to crude oil its heat stability was decreased to some extent.     

The effect of carotene extraction system on crude palm oil quality, carotene composition, and carotene stability during storage

Palm carotene was successfully concentrated from crude palm oil (CPO) by an adsorption process using a synthetic adsorbent followed by solvent extraction. Evaluation of feed CPO and CPO which underwent the carotene extraction process was conducted. The quality of CPO after the extraction process was slightly deteriorated in terms of free fatty acid, moisture content, impurities, peroxide value, anisidine value, discriminant function, and deterioration of bleachability index. However, the CPO still can be refined to produce refined, bleached, deodorized palm oil that meets the Palm Oil Refiners Association of Malaysia specifications. No extra cost was incurred by refining this CPO as the dosage of bleaching earth used was very similar to the refining of standard CPO. The triglyceride carbon number and fatty acid composition of CPO after going through the carotene extraction process were almost the same as CPO data. The major components of the carotene fraction were similar to CPO, which contains mainly α- and β-carotene. The carotene could be stored for at least 3 mon.     

The Effects of Refining on the Chemical Composition of Turkish Sunflower Seed Oil

For investigating the effects of degumming, neutralization, winterization and deodorization operations on the composition of sunflowerseed oil, samples were collected from each respective stage of a commercial oil refining factory in Tekirda?, Turkey. Based on laboratory analyses, it was concluded that there were no significant changes in specific gravities, refractive indices, saponification numbers. Iodine values and fatty acid compositions were altered slightly during winterization. There was a gradual decrease throughout each consecutive stage of refining, in free fatty acids, phospholipids, unsaponifiables, tocopherols, sterols and iron contents. Also, slight changes were observed in relative distribution pattern of individual tocopherol and sterol components. The overall oil quality, from points of oxidative stability and nutritional status, was not lower than the original crude sunflower seed oil.     

Effects of processing steps on the contents of minor compounds and oxidation of soybean oil

The processes of degumming, alkali refining, bleaching and deodorization removed 99.8% phospholipids, 90.7% iron, 100% chlorophyll, 97.3% free fatty acids and 31.8% tocopherols from crude soybean oil. The correlation coefficient between the removals of phosphorus and iron in soybean oil during processing was r = 0.99. The relative ratios of α-, β -, γ- and δ-tocopherols in crude oil, degummed oil, refined oil, bleached oil and deodorized soybean oil were almost constant, γ- and δ -tocopherols represented more than 94% of tocopherols in soybean oil. The order of oxidation stability of oil is crude > deodorized > degummed > refined > bleached oil.     

Separation of palm carotene from crude palm oil by adsorption chromatography with a synthetic polymer adsorbent

Palm carotene was successfully concentrated from crude palm oil by a single-stage chromatographic process on a synthetic porous polymer. Carotene was concentrated to about 10⁵ ppm solution, which is about 160 times the original concentration in crude palm oil. Carotene recovery varied from 40 to 65% depending upon chromatographic conditions. The fatty acid composition of the palm oil did not change during the carotene recovery process, and the carotene composition was also almost the same as that in palm oil. Adsorption isotherms of the adsorbent differed from other adsorbents. This new recovery method for palm carotene may be suitable as an edible palm oil pretreatment process due to its efficient mass recovery of a valuable bioresource.     

Freie und gebundene Sterine in rohen und raffinierten Palmölen,Teil II: Sterinhaltige Lipoproteine

Free and Bound Sterols in Raw and Refined Palm Oils, Part II: Sterol Containing Lipoproteins Twelve lipid fractions were isolated from raw palm oil which contain beside sterols, fatty acids and pigments also low amounts of phospholipids and proteins. The very stable complexes can only be decomposed by acid hydrolysis. The composition of sterols and fatty acids in the hydrolysate and the phosphor and nitrogen content in the purified lipid fractions were determined. According to composition and chemical behaviour of these lipid complexes they are sterol containing lipoproteins with strong lipophilic character. In some of these fractions the extremely high cholesterol content is striking which is partly more than 50% of the total sterols. The release of sterols from these complexes during refining might be the reason for the high cholesterol content in some refined palm oils.     

Colorimetric determination of total tocopherols in palm oil,olein and stearin

By using a preliminary heat-bleach at 250 C the Emmerie-Engel method has been adapted for the determination of total tocopherols (including tocotrienols) in crude as well as refined palm oil, olein and stearin. Total tocopherol contents found were: Crude palm oil, 794 ppm (n=10); RBD palm oil, 563 ppm (n=13); RBD palm olein, 643 ppm (n=40); RBD palm stearin, 261 ppm (n=19), where n is the number of samples analyzed. During the detergent fractionation no tocopherols were lost, but the tocopherols were concentrated in the olein fraction. The fate of the tocopherols during degumming, bleaching and steam refining/deodorizing of Crude palm olein containing 978 ppm total tocopherol was studied. Over the whole refining process only 8% of the tocopherols were lost, 62% of the original tocopherols were retained in the RBD palm olein, while the remaining 30% were concentrated in the fatty acid distillate which contained 7,040 ppm tocopherol.     

Application of supercritical fluid chromatography in the quantitative analysis of minor components (carotenes,vitamin E,sterols, and squalene) from palm oil

The application of supercritical fluid chromatography (SFC) coupled with a UV variable-wavelength detector to isolate the minor components (carotenes, vitamin E, sterols, and squalene) in crude palm oil (CPO) and the residual oil from palm-pressed fiber is reported. SFC is a good technique for the isolation and analysis of these compounds from the sources mentioned. The carotenes, vitamin E, sterols, and squalene were isolated in less than 20 min. The individual vitamin E isomers present in palm oil were also isolated into their respective components, α-tocopherol, α-tocotrienol, γ-tocopherol, γ-tocotrienol, and δ-tocotrienol. Calibration of all the minor components of palm as well as the individual components of palm vitamin E was carried out and was found to be comparable to those analyzed by other established analytical methods.     

Effects of processing on quality of soybean oil

The fate of major and minor components of soybean oil is examined at each stage of processing. Relationships are then drawn upon the effect on the quality of finished oil. General topics covered are (a) triglycerides and polyunsaturated fatty acids, (b) free fatty acids, (c) mono- and diglycerides, (d) phospholipids, (e) minor constituents, such as tocopherols, color bodies, and metal ions, (f) rearrangement and decomposition products, (g) foreign or toxic compounds not native to soya and (h) other additives, such as refining aids.     

Facile purification of tocopherols from soybean oil deodorizer distillate in high yield using lipase

Tocopherols have been purified from deodorizer distillate produced in the final deodorization step of vegetable oil refining by a process including molecular distillation. Deodorizer distillate contains mainly tocopherols, sterols, and free fatty acids (FFA); the presence of sterols hinders tocopherol purification in good yield. We found that Candida rugosa lipase recognized sterols as substrates but not tocopherols, and that esterification of sterols with FFA could be effected with negligible influence of water content. Enzymatic esterification of sterols with FFA was thus used as a step in tocopherol purification. High boiling point substances including steryl esters were removed from soybean oil deodorizer distillate by distillation, and the resulting distillate (soybean oil deodorizer distillate tocopherol concentrate; SODDTC) was used as a starting material for tocopherol purification. Several factors affecting esterification of sterols were investigated, and the reaction conditions were determined as follows: A mixture of SODDTC and water (4∶1, w/w) was stirred at 35°C for 24 h with 200 U of Candida lipase per 1 g of the reaction mixture. Under these conditions, approximately 80% of sterols was esterified, but tocopherols were not esterified. After the reaction, tocopherols and FFA were recovered as a distillate by molecular distillation of the oil layer. To enhance further removal of the remaining sterols, the lipase-catalyzed reaction was repeated on the distillate under the same reaction conditions. As a result, more than 95% of the sterols was esterified in total. The resulting reaction mixture was fractionated to four distillates and one residue. The main distillate fraction contained 65 wt% tocopherols with low contents of FFA and sterols. In addition, the residue fraction contained high-purity steryl esters. Because the process presented in this study includes only organic solvent-free enzymatic reaction and molecular distillation, it is feasible as a new industrial purification method of tocopherols. This work was presented at the Biocatalysis symposium in April 2000, held at the 91st Annual Meeting and Expo of the American Oil Chemists Society, San Diego, CA.     

Isolation of tocopherol and sterol concentrate from sunflower oil deodorizer distillate

The isolation of tocopherols and sterols together as a concentrate from sunflower oil deodorizer distillate was investigated. The sunflower oil deodorizer distillate was composed of 24.9% unsaponifiable matter with 4.8% tocopherols and 9.7% sterols, 28.8% free fatty acid (FFA) and 46.3% neutral glycerides. The isolation technology included process steps such as biohydrolysis, bioesterification and fractional distillation. The neutral glycerides of the deodorizer distillates were hydrolyzed byCandida cylindracea lipase. The total fatty acids (initial FFA plus FFA from neutral glycerides) were converted into butyl esters withMucor miehei lipase. The esterified product was then fractionally distilled in a Claisen-vigreux flask. The first fraction, which was collected at 180–230°C at 1.00 mm of Hg for 45 min, contained mainly butyl esters, hydrocarbons, oxidized products and some amount of free fatty acids. The fraction collected at 230–260°C at 1.00 mm Hg for 15 min was rich in tocopherols (about 30%) and sterols (about 36%). The overall recovery of tocopherols and sterols after hydrolysis, esterification and distillation were around 70% and 42%, respectively, of the original content in sunflower oil deodorizer distillate.     

Concentration of sterols and tocopherols from olive oil with supercritical carbon dioxide

A process based on the use of a semicontinuous countercurrent supercritical fluid extraction has been developed to isolate and concentrate minor compounds, such as sterols and tocopherols, from olive oil. In the present work, an evaluation of the efficiency of different random packing materials (Raschig rings, Dixon rings, Fenske rings, and glass beads) to selectively separate sterols and tocopherols from olive oil has been performed. Parameters such as recovery, enrichment, and selectivity vs. TG are discussed. Considering the importance of supercritical fluid extraction as a clean processing technology and the interest in minor compounds with nutraceutical properties from olive oil, the process studied represents an alternative to the reuse of low-quality olive oil to extract high added-value products.     

Purification of tocopherols and phytosterols by a two-step <Emphasis Type="Italic">in situ</Emphasis> enzymatic reaction

The purification of tocopherols and phytosterols (referred to as sterols) from soybean oil deodorizer distillate (SODD) was attempted. Tocopherols and sterols in the SODD were first recovered by short-path distillation, which was named sODD tocopherol/sterol concentrate (SODDTSC). The SODD-TSC contained MAG, DAG, FFA, and unidentified hydrocarbons in addition to the two substances of interest. It was then treated with Candida rugosa lipase to convert sterols to FA steryl esters, acylglycerols to FFA, and FFA to FAME. Methanol (MeOH), however, inhibited esterification of the sterols. Hence, a two-step in situ reaction was conducted: SODDTSC was stirred with 20 wt% water and 200 U/g mixture of C. rugosa lipase at 30°C, and 2 moles of MeOH per mole of FFA was added to the reaction mixture after 16h. The lipase treatment for 40 h in total achieved 80% conversion of the initial sterols to FA steryl esters, complete hydrolysis of the acylglycerols, and a 78% decrease in the initial FFA content by methyl esterification. Tocopherols did not change throughout the process. To enhance the degree of steryl and methyl esterification, the reaction products, FA steryl esters and FAME, were removed by short-path distillation, and the resulting fraction containing tocopherols, sterols, and FFA was treated with the lipase again. Distillation of the reaction mixture purified tocopherols to 76.4% (recovery, 89.6%) and sterols to 97.2% as FA steryl esters (recovery, 86.3%).     

Enzyme-Catalyzed modification of oilseed materials to produce eco-friendly products

Novel products produced from seed oil materials (TAG, phospholipids, and minor components such as tocopherols, sterols, stanols, and fatty acyl esters of the latter two) by enzyme-mediated purification or chemical modification are reviewed. The primary focus is on “value-added products” of current and potential use (particularly in the food, cosmetics, and pharmaceutical industries) that require the selectivity of enzymes and mild operating conditions, the latter being beneficial for polyunsaturated and oxygenated acyl groups. The paper briefly reviews the biochemistry of enzymes in lipid modification (lipases, phospholipases, and lipoxygenases) and discusses and assesses the current and future applications, current state of the art, and areas for future research for the following enzyme-mediated processes: isolation of polyunsaturated and oxygenated FFA; formation of structured TAG as nutraceuticals; formation of MAG, saccharide-FA esters, and other polyhydric alcohol ester as emulsifiers and surfactants; isolation and/or modification of tocopherols and sterols as antioxidants; formation of hydroperoxides as chemical intermediates; and modification of phospholipids for use in liposomes.