Pressurized liquid extraction of macauba pulp oil

The aim of this study was to investigate the extraction of oil from macauba pulp using ethanol and isopropanol as pressurized solvents. Experiments were carried out in a semi-continuous extractor system at various temperatures (40, 60, and 80 °C) maintaining the pressure fixed at 10 000 kPa and the solvent flow at 3 mL/min and also using conventional extraction (in a Soxhlet). For both methods assessed, higher yields were obtained with the use of ethanol as the solvent. In the pressurized liquid extraction (PLE), an increase in temperature from 40 to 60 °C provided higher yields at 72 min of extraction, which was not influenced by the extraction carried out at 80 °C. This temperature effect was also observed in the extraction kinetics data. The maximum yields obtained by PLE were 44.78% and 37.12% with ethanol and isopropanol, respectively, which represents ∼77% of the yield obtained by conventional extraction. Oleic and palmitic acids are the main fatty acids identified in macauba pulp oil, representing ∼88% of the fatty acids composition, which was not influenced by the extraction method and solvent used. PLE with ethanol provides oils with higher levels of β-carotene. The flavonoid content was higher with the use of isopropanol; however, it was not influenced by the method used. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved