From the industrial perspective, carotenoids from palm oil are classified as an undesirable compound once their dark orange color and typical aroma would overlap with any other color or flavor, leading to a complete mischaracterization of the final product. However, α- and β-carotenes, the main carotenoids of crude palm oil, are precursors of vitamin A. Notably, the carotenes recovered before their removal during bleaching may be used as a colorant, antioxidant, and vitamin supplement This study aims to recover carotenes from crude palm oil. The proposed approach involves the continuous adsorption of carotenes from crude palm oil onto polymeric resins, specifically Diaion HP-20. To evaluate the adsorption process, breakthrough experiments were conducted using micelles consisting of 10% oil and 90% isopropanol (w/w) at a temperature of 313 K. The experimental data obtained from the breakthrough experiments were successfully predicted by a Linear Driving Force (LDF) model, indicating its adequacy in describing the adsorption process. The shape of the breakthrough curve was found to be significantly influenced by the variation in axial dispersion (Dax). MicroCT analysis indicates the presence of intraparticle diffusion phenomena within the resin. A notable outcome of this study was the potential for reusing the polymeric resin for multiple cycles without a significant loss in its adsorptive capacity. This suggests the feasibility and promising nature of removing carotenes from crude palm oil through the proposed approach.
PROC-011: Adsorption of Carotenes from Crude Palm Oil onto Macroporous Polymeric Resin: A microCT Analysis
