An improved aqueous extraction method has been established for extraction of oil from corn germs. This method primarily included steam explosion pretreatment and aqueous ethanol extraction. Process variables such as steam pressure, resident time, particle size and ethanol concentration were investigated.
What is corn germ?
Corn germ is a substantial byproduct of the wet milling and alcohol industry of corn. Corn germ (dry) contains 35–56 % oil, with linoleic acid (C18:2) being the predominant fatty acid (49–61.9 %) and the highest level of tocopherol and phytosterol amongst all vegetable oils, which is a cost-effective resource for healthy nutritious oil.
Can corn germs be milled before oil extraction?
Grinding oilseeds prior to oil extraction may enlarge the interface between material particles and aqueous solvent or enzyme, and then enhance free oil yield. In previous research, colloid milling was employed to mill corn germs (Dickey et al. 2010 ). In this study, a dry milling method was developed to grind corn germ.
Can aqueous ethanol extract corn germ oil?
This result proved the preponderance of aqueous ethanol method again. In this study, an efficient and eco-friendly extraction process was developed by the aqueous ethanol extraction with steam explosion pretreatment for obtaining corn germ oil.
Does corn germ powder affect oil recovery?
Besides the ethanol concentration, particle size of corn germ powder could also influence the oil recovery. Grinding oilseeds prior to oil extraction may enlarge the interface between material particles and aqueous solvent or enzyme, and then enhance free oil yield.
What ethanol is used to treat corn germ?
The highest yield of 93.74 % was obtained when ground steam-exploded corn germ (1.3 MPa, 30 s, 30–35 μm particle size) was treated with 30 % ( v /v) aqueous ethanol for 2 h, at 60 °C and pH 9.0. The residual oil content in water and sediment phase decreased dramatically to 4 % and 3 %, respectively.