High conversion of palm olein to ethyl esters using a strong anion exchange resin: study of the operational parameters

Biodiesel, known as a mixture of fatty acid ethyl/methyl esters, is seen as an alternative, ecofriendly, biodegradable and renewable non-fossil fuel. The use of heterogeneous catalysts for biodiesel synthesis can solve several problems associated with the homogeneous alkaline catalyzed-transesterification. Therefore, this work reports the evaluation of the commercial resin Amberlyst A26OH, a strong anion exchange resin, as a heterogeneous catalyst for the batch transesterification of refined palm olein with ethanol. It was studied the effects of the main operational parameters, considering the molar ratio of the reaction mixture (MRRM), namely the molar ratio of ethanol to olein taking into account only the ethanol added to the reaction system, and the total molar ratio (TMR), in this case considering also the amount of ethanol carried by the resin after its pretreatment. It was determined an optimal range of operational conditions by response surface methodology, guaranteeing conversion to ethyl esters higher than 96% with a catalyst amount corresponding to a range from 10.4 to 11.4% of the oil quantity, a temperature within the range of 55 to 60 ºC and a MRRM within the range from 3.5:1 to 6.0:131714011412CONSELHO NACIONAL DE DESENVOLVIMENTO CIENTÍFICO E TECNOLÓGICO - CNPQCOORDENAÇÃO DE APERFEIÇOAMENTO DE PESSOAL DE NÍVEL SUPERIOR - CAPESFUNDAÇÃO DE AMPARO À PESQUISA DO ESTADO DE SÃO PAULO - FAPESP406963/2016-9; 406856/2013-3; 429873/2018-2; 305870/2014-9Sem informação2014/21252-0; 2016/10636-

Thermal and physical properties of crude palm oil with higher oleic content

Interspecific hybridization of oil palms (E. guineensis × E. oleifera) was initially exploited to provide disease resistance and, consequently, increased oleic acid content. Besides the growing importance of this cultivar to the market, there is little information about this oil’s properties. In this context, this study aimed to determine a comprehensive physicochemical and thermal characterization of hybrid palm oil (HOPO) compared with the better-known African palm oil (APO). Differences in the distribution of fatty acids, carotenoids, and tocols were observed. Minor differences in density and viscosity were found between the oils, with no relevance for the materials’ processing design. Nevertheless, HOPO showed unique crystallization behavior, which potentially can affect industrial operations, such as fractionation. HOPO did not present the two thermal characteristic regions of APO, attributed to olein and stearin fractions. The HOPO demonstrated a decrease in the melting point of more than 3 °C in relation to APO, and a reduction in the crystallization point of more than 6 °C. Furthermore, besides the higher content of unsaturated fatty acids, HOPO was more stable than APO due to a higher antioxidant content. These results could be useful to establish operation conditions for processes using palm oil from hybrid oil palm

Proposing blends for improving the cold flow properties of ethylic biodiesel

Despite the several advantages compared to conventional diesel fuel, the biodiesel has poor cold flow properties, limitng its use as a fuel in moderate and cold climates. Considering that the fatty esters profile and the alcohol used affect the biodiesel physico-chemical behavior, this work explored the crystallization/melting profiles of ethyl biodiesel from different oil sources as well as of binary blends among them to improve their cold flow properties. Therefore, model ethyl biodiesels from soybean oil, beef tallow, palm oil, their fractions, olein and stearin, palm kernel, macauba, and macauba kernel oils were formulated by pure ethyl esters, their melting/crystallization temperature, cloud point, pour point, cold filter plugging point and the fraction of crystallized esters analysed. For all cases, blends decreased the cold flow properties of the heavier biodiesel. Soybean oil and tallow biodiesels, economically relevant sources, presented a CFPP of - 4.28 degrees C and 17.12 degrees C, respectively, whilst some alternative sources, such as macauba and palm kernels biodiesels, presented values lower than -15 degrees C, which is more advantageous in cold climates. Tallow biodiesel was the only not in accordance with Regulation Agencies considering cold climates. Macauba and palm kernel oils were especially interesting to decrease the melting/crystallization temperatures of heavier biodiesels, including those from tallow beef. The best blend was those formulated with soybean and macauba kernel oils with a CFPP lower than - 20 degrees C. This work suggested that not only biodiesels mainly composed by unsaturated esters but also by short-saturated esters could significantly improve the cold flow properties of high saturated biodiesel, being a low-cost and feasible alterative2535059CONSELHO NACIONAL DE DESENVOLVIMENTO CIENTÍFICO E TECNOLÓGICO - CNPQCOORDENAÇÃO DE APERFEIÇOAMENTO DE PESSOAL DE NÍVEL SUPERIOR - CAPESFUNDAÇÃO DE AMPARO À PESQUISA DO ESTADO DE SÃO PAULO - FAPESP305870/2014-9; 406963/2016-9não tem2014/21252-0; 2016/10636-8; 2016/08566-1; 2017/16979-7The authors thank the national funding agencies, the São Paulo Research Foudation (FAPESP), Brazil (grant #2014/21252-0, grant #2016/10636-8, grant #2016/08566-1, and grant #2017/16979-7), the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq), Brazil (grant #305870/2014-9, and grant #406963/2016-9), and the Education, Research and Extension Support Fund of UNICAMP (FAEPEX), Brazil, (grant #0125/16) for their financial support and scholarships. This study was also financed in part by the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior – Brasil (CAPES) – Finance Code 00

Effect of type of bleaching earth on the final color of refined palm oil

AbstractAlthough studies indicate chemical changes during bleaching such as carotene and unsaturated fatty acids oxidation, which are probably responsible for the color fixation of palm oil, this process is not very clear. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of type and amount of bleaching earth (BE) on the final quality of refined palm oils, especially on the oxidative state and color. Two types of bleaching earth were tested, one natural (NBE) and one acid-activated (ABE) (0.5–3.0% w/w). Crude palm oils were bleached at 105 °C, during 30 min at 50 mmHg pressure. Afterwards, a deodorization step was performed at 260 °C, 3 mbar, 1.5% steam during 60 min. These refining procedures were evaluated after each step by measuring β-carotene, color, peroxide (PV) and p-anisidine (pAV) values. It was observed that both BE can decompose peroxides. However, a maximum pAV followed by a decrease was observed for ABE while the pAV remains approximately constant at a maximum for NBE, suggesting only ABE catalytically decomposes secondary oxidation products. The color after deodorization was inversely proportional to pAV when bleaching was performed with ABE, even though the oil has a lighter color after deodorization

Tocopherols and polyphenols in pumpkin seed oil are moderately affected by industrially relevant roasting conditions

Traditionally, pumpkin seed oil is obtained by pressing the seeds after a roasting pretreatment, at temperatures up to 150 °C. However, the appropriate temperatures and roasting times are under discussion. In this study, oils from seeds roasted at different temperatures (60–150 °C) are compared with oil from non‐roasted seeds. At higher roasting temperatures, lower roasting times are required to release the oil. Both, for tocopherols and phenolic compounds, no decreasing trend with the increasing roasting temperature are observed. In contrast, the oil from non‐roasted seeds have relatively low levels of tocopherols and phenolics and lacked the typical aroma. Levels of polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are very low, ranging from not detected in oil from non‐roasted seeds to 13.8 μg kg−1 in the oil from seeds roasted at 150 °C. Therefore, the choice between the studied roasting conditions may depend rather on sensory evaluations than on the content of antioxidants or of PAHs. Practical Applications: The process of the production of virgin pumpkin oil is based on a thermal treatment of the ground seeds, favoring the separation of the lipid fraction, and giving a typical aroma of the roasted oil. Results of this research provide important information regarding the influence of roasting conditions on the quality and safety of the oil. Roasting pumpkin seeds increased the tocopherol and phenols content in the pumpkin oil, with no significant formation of PAHs. The information will be valuable and important for not only for the pumpkin oil production, but also for all the seeds submitted to a roasting treatment before extraction11912CONSELHO NACIONAL DE DESENVOLVIMENTO CIENTÍFICO E TECNOLÓGICO - CNPQFUNDAÇÃO DE AMPARO À PESQUISA DO ESTADO DE SÃO PAULO - FAPESP406856/2013-32014/21252-

Characterization of French Coriander Oil as Source of Petroselinic Acid

Coriander vegetable oil was extracted from fruits of French origin in a 23% yield. The oil was of good quality, with a low amount of free fatty acids (1.8%) and a concurrently high amount of triacylglycerols (98%). It is a rich source of petroselinic acid (C18:1n-12), an important renewable building block, making up 73% of all fatty acids, with also significant amounts of linoleic acid (14%), oleic acid (6%), and palmitic acid (3%). The oil was characterized by a high unsaponifiable fraction, comprising a substantial amount of phytosterols (6.70 g/kg). The main sterol markers were β-sitosterol (35% of total sterols), stigmasterol (24%), and Δ7-stigmastenol (18%). Squalene was detected at an amount of 0.2 g/kg. A considerable amount of tocols were identified (500 mg/kg) and consisted mainly of tocotrienols, with γ-tocotrienol as the major compound. The phospholipid content was low at 0.3%, of which the main phospholipid classes were phosphatidic acid (33%), phosphatidylcholine (25%), phosphatidylinositol (17%), and phosphatidylethanolamine (17%). About 50% of all phospholipids were non-hydratable. The β-carotene content was low at 10 mg/kg, while a significant amount of chlorophyll was detected at about 11 mg/kg. An iron content of 1.4 mg/kg was determined through element analysis of the vegetable oil. The influence of fruit origin on the vegetable oil composition was shown to be very important, particularly in terms of the phospholipids, sterols, and tocols composition

Enzymatic Degumming of Rice Bran Oil Using Different Commercial Phospholipases and Their Cocktails

Rice bran oil is a highly nutritious vegetable oil, as it is rich in tocols and γ-oryzanol. Degumming is the first step in the vegetable oil refining process, and its main objective is the removal of phospholipids or gums. In the present study, enzymatic degumming trials were performed on crude rice bran oil using the phospholipases PLA1, Purifine® PLC, their mixture (PLA1/PLC), and a cocktail known as Purifine® 3G. Enzymatic degumming applying 50 mg/kg of PLA1 for 120 min resulted in a residual phosphorus content of 10.4 mg/kg and an absolute free fatty acid increase of 0.30%. Enzymatic degumming applying 300 mg/kg of Purifine® PLC for 120 min at 60 °C resulted in a residual phosphorus content of 67 mg/kg and an absolute diacylglycerol increase of 0.41%. The mixture of phospholipases and the cocktail presented approximately 5 mg/kg of residual phosphorus content after the reaction times. For all degumming processes, the preservation of minor components such as tocols and γ-oryzanol were observed. These results indicate that the use of enzyme mixtures or their cocktails to attain low phosphorus content and high diacylglycerol/free fatty acid conversion during enzymatic degumming is a viable alternative

Phospholipase cocktail : a new degumming technique for crude soybean oil

Enzymatic degumming (EDG) is an emerging alternative process for decreasing the phosphorus content, increasing the oil yield, and preserving the oil quality. Purifine (R) 3G is a cocktail of phospholipases composed of phospholipase A2 (PLA2), phospholipase C (PLC), and phosphatidylinositol phospholipase C (PI-PLC). In this study, Purifine (R) 3G was applied to crude soybean oil, and the optimum degumming conditions (enzyme con-centration, temperature, and water dosage) were determined using a central composite rotatable design (CCRD). The contents of diacylglycerols (DAGs) and free fatty acids (FFAs) in the studied system considerably increased at temperatures below 64 C and enzyme concentrations above 100 mg/kg, while the phosphorus content decreased with increasing water amount and enzyme concentration. In particular, EDG with 200 mg/kg of Purifine (R) 3G conducted for 120 min at a temperature of 60 C and water concentration of 3% (w/w) lowered the residual phosphorus content to 8.9 mg/kg and increased the FFA and DAG concentrations by 0.17% and 0.72%, respectively. Meanwhile, EDG retained the tocopherol content in crude soybean oil, maintaining its quality. Hence, Purifine (R) 3G increases the neutral oil yield (FFA and DAG), decreases the phosphorus content, and preserves the oil quality, which make it a commercially viable degumming agent