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Recovery of acid corn oil from the bioalcohol industry by molecular distillation
Author(s) -
Miró Erdmann Silvia M,
Magallanes Leisa M,
Tarditto Lorena V,
Prizzon Antonella,
del Carmen Pramparo María,
Gayol María F
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
journal of the science of food and agriculture
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.782
H-Index - 142
eISSN - 1097-0010
pISSN - 0022-5142
DOI - 10.1002/jsfa.9684
Subject(s) - chemistry , distillation , vacuum distillation , oleic acid , raw material , residue (chemistry) , chromatography , pulp and paper industry , gas chromatography , corn oil , food science , acid value , organic chemistry , biochemistry , engineering
BACKGROUND The objective of this work was to reduce the acidity of acid corn oil for its subsequent use as edible oil. Also, its tocopherols composition was determined. This oil is obtained as a by‐product of corn alcohol production on an industrial scale and is currently used as a raw material in the biodiesel industry. RESULTS The tocopherols and fatty acids composition of acid corn oil was determined by gas chromatography, and molecular distillation experiments were carried out at different temperatures between 110 °C and 190 °C with a volumetric flow rate of 0.5 to 2 mL min −1 and a pressure of 5 × 10 −5 atm. It was possible to reduce its acidity from 9.44% (as oleic acid) to values less than 0.3% in the residue, with distillation temperatures higher than 180 °C; also, in the distillate, the tocopherols were recovered with concentrations up to 13 360 ppm. CONCLUSION It was possible to decrease the acidity and purify tocopherols from acid corn oil by molecular distillation, obtaining a residue with an acidity acceptable for human consumption and a distillate with a high tocopherols content. Therefore, using molecular distillation, added value was given to a by‐product of the bioalcohol industry. © 2019 Society of Chemical Industry