Industrially concentrated tocopherols from soybean oil deodorizer distillate

Abstract

Although the tocopherol concentration in Soybean Oil Deodorizer Distillate (SODD) regarding molecular distillation (MD) has been studied in the last 20 years, no scientific studies were published yet in international journals about the results of this technology when applied in an industrial scale. This research aimed to evaluate the tocopherols concentration through industrial patented MD technology in a vegetable oil refinery, using a phospholipase A2 enzymatic physical degumming process, packed dual temperature column deodorizer coupled to a double washer and a Tocoboost® patented technology. The results of the refinery production process from July 2019 to February 2020 could totalize over 81 days, comprising 243 samples and more than 1900 laboratory analysis. The input and output SODD samples were analysed by Gas Chromatography (GC), in which graphics of the automation system and mass balance of the refinery production ranges were also verified. The results showed that it is possible to achieve over five times Vitamin E concentration from non-modified soybean oil deodorizer distillate in a physic enzymatic phospholipase degumming process plant using a combination of advanced technology in order to separate high value-added molecules gained through studied hypotheses regarding vacuum, temperature, distiller models, backset flows, multiple stages of distillation, degradation and product recovery.