Nowadays, industrial screw pressing of rapeseeds (Brassica napus subsp. napus) reduces oil content to 16 – 20 %. Obtained expeller cake is further extracted by technical hexane to achieve extraction meal with an optimal residual oil content of 0.5 – 0.9 wt. %. Extraction solvent constituents such as 2-methylpentane and 3-methylpentane are even more effective. Current trends in the food industry emphasize the meaningful use of renewable raw materials; a good example is commercial effort to use methyloxolane (also known as 2-methyltetrahydrofuran) as an extraction solvent instead of non-renewable technical hexane. Such technological process can offer a number of advantages as well as pitfalls. For the commercial success of solvent extraction with a new solvent, it is essential to know the lipidomic composition of the crude rapeseed oil as well as the final quality of the extraction meal. Therefore, we have systematically studied relationship among solvent extraction mechanism using both technical hexane and methyloxolane and the removal of homolipids (TAG, DAG, MAG, FFA) and heterolipids (hydratable and non-hydratable glycerophospholipids). Moreover, we have studied the quality of extraction meal after the removal of solvents including protein content as well as ballast compounds and antinutrients. Our conclusions may help to design commercial equipment operating with the sustainable methyloxolane.
LAMI-004: Solvent Extraction of Rapeseed Expeller Cake by methyloxolane and its impact on the Quality of Rrude Rapeseed Oil and Extraction Meal
