Diffusion of tocopherols, phospholipids and sugars during oil extraction of sunflower collets using ethanol as solvent

BAÜMLER, E.R.; CARELLI, A.A.; CARRIN, M.E.

JOURNAL OF FOOD ENGINEERING

ELSEVIER SCI LTD

Lugar: Amsterdam; Año: 2016 vol. 194 p. 1 - 8

0260-8774

The ethanolic extraction of minor compounds, phospholipids, tocopherols and sugars, present in sunflower collets was studied at 50 and 60 ºC in a batch reactor. The extracted material consisted of two phases, a hexane-soluble one ?comparable to a degummed sunflower oil- and a hexane-insoluble fraction enriched in phospholipids and sugars. Sugars are extracted in great proportion, especially the indigestible raffinose, which increases the meal nutritional value. The reduction percentage of sugars in the sunflower collets increased over the extraction time reaching values higher than 60 and 80% at 50 and 60 ºC. Effective diffusivity (De) value for tocopherols was higher than that for phospholipids (3.950 10-9 and 2.596 10-9 m2/s, respectively), being both independent of temperature in the analyzed range. Sugars De were 6.50 10-10 and 1.51 10-9 m2/s for 50 and 60 ºC, respectively. It was demonstrated that using ethanol as extraction solvent could improve the oil and meal quality and obtain a third phase, after fractionation, reached in phospholipids.