Recuperación de vitaminas presentes en el aceite crudo híbrido de palma por medio de transesterificación y destilación molecular

Abstract

The objective of this study is to recover the β-carotene, tocopherols and tocotrienols present in the crude oil palm hybrid, to produce vitamin E and vitamin A suitable for human consumption, thus helping to combat and prevent health problems and in turn give added value and new uses to HCPO, taking into account its high rate of production. This was carried out by means of transesterification and later a molecular distillation, posing different experimental designs. The process departs with the transesterification of crude palm hybrid oil, for which KOH was used as a catalyst, temperatures of 60 ± 4.5 °C and different molar ratios of ethanol: oil, in times of 2, 4 and 6 hours, with constant agitation of 400 rpm; From there we obtained the ethylic mats that were tested as mass yield, crystallization by cooling and quantification by spectrophotometry, in order to evaluate their concentration, which concluded that the best conditions Were Temperature of 60 ± 4.5 °c, in a time of 4 hours and ethanol:oil ratio 12:1. These ethylic mats were subjected to crystallization, where the concentrations of this process are β-carotene of 4959.97 ± 70.16 ppm, tocopherols of 4238.51 ± 72.15 ppm and tocotrienols of 5254.36 ± 65.09 ppm also a molecular distillation was performed ( National University of Colombia); This process was given at very low pressures, where different volatilities were obtained from the components, and it was also worked at a temperature of 110°C, which helped to achieve the separation of thermolabile compounds. The concentrations obtained in this last process are β-carotene of 7540.58 ± 86.83 ppm, tocopherols of 7249.53 ± 84.31 ppm and tocotrienols of 7109.83 ± 85.14 ppm.