Processing of Oilseeds to Recover Oil and Protein Using Combined Aqueous, Enzymatic and Membrane Separation Techniques

Abstract

Extraction of oil and separation/concentration of proteins using aqueous, enzymatic and membrane separation processes have been described in this article. Aqueous extraction of oilseeds has significance because of its energy efficiency and the environmental safety of the process. Also, it has been observed that the various unit operations involved in this process like grinding, solid-liquid separation, centrifugation, and drying played a vital role in the efficiency of the oil yield. It has further been demonstrated that the low yield of oil in this aqueous extraction can be enhanced by using enzymes and, in general, the enzyme mixture in combination gives better results than a single enzyme. The soluble proteins from the aqueous phase were separated using ultrafiltration membranes, thereby avoiding the generation of whey formation which otherwise is a matter of environmental concern. Even reverse osmosis membranes can be employed to process the ultrafiltered permeate to recover the secondary products and render effluent water suitable for reuse. These considerations suggest that by using these processing techniques good quality oil and protein products with better yield can be obtained from the oilseeds along with a solution addressing the associated environmental problems.