Optimization of simultaneous carotenes and vitamin E (tocols) extraction from crude palm olein using response surface methodology

ABSTRACT

In this study, response surface methodology was utilized to determine the optimal conditions for the extraction of carotenes (α- and β-carotene) and tocols (α-tocopherol, α-, γ-, and δ-tocotrienol) from crude palm olein using ethyl lactate (EL) and ethanol (EtoL) in a temperature-controlled mixer-settler system. Central composite design with four factors including temperature (X₁), mixing time (X₂), volume fraction (VF) of olein (X₃), and VF of EtOL (X₄) was used to investigate the multivariate relationship with the five responses including enrichment factor and recovery of both carotenes and tocols. The optimum extraction conditions were determined at 20°C, 10 min of mixing, 48% of crude palm olein, 31.2% of EL and 20.8% of EtoL (corresponding to 0.5 VF of olein and 0.4 VF of EtoL). The enrichment factors of carotenes and tocols were 0.88 and 2.56, respectively while 11.3% of carotenes and 31.2% of tocols were recovered.

KEYWORDS:

• Carotene
• crude palm olein
• extraction
• green solvent
• response surface methodology
• tocol

Additional information

Funding

The crude palm oil used in this work was kindly provided by Havys Oil Palm Sdn. Bhd. (Semenyih). This work was supported by the Ministry of Science, Technology, and Innovation (MOSTI), Malaysia under the eScience Fund [grant number 02-02-12-SF0225]. The Faculty of Engineering at the University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus is also acknowledged for its support toward the project.