Establishment of an Effective Refining Process for <i>Moringa oleifera</i> Kernel Oil

• Main Authors: Husna Madihah Abd Hadi, Chin Ping Tan, Nur Khalishah Mohamad Shah, Tai Boon Tan, Keshavan Niranjan, Masni Mat Yusoff
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2021-03-01
• Series: Processes
• Subjects: fats and oils; oilseeds; oxidative stability; lipids; lipid chemistry/lipid analysis; processing technology
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9717/9/4/579

This study systematically established the most effective refining process for <i>Moringa oleifera</i> (MO) kernel oil. Acid degumming (20.33 ± 1.37 ppm) removed significantly greater phosphorus than water degumming (31.18 ± 0.90 ppm). Neutralization was more effective than deodorization in decreasing the acid (0.06 mg KOH/g) and <i>p</i>-Anisidine (<i>p</i>-AV, 0.36 ± 0.03) values of the oil. Besides improving its color properties, acid-activated bleaching earth Type B was better than Types A and C in decreasing the oil’s <i>p</i>-AV (0.43 ± 0.02), acid value (3.96 ± 0.02 mg KOH/g), and moisture content (0.01 ± 0.00% <i>w</i>/<i>w</i>). The selected refining stages successfully produced MO kernel oil with acceptable peroxide value (PV, 1.66–3.33 meq/kg), <i>p</i>-AV (1.05–1.49), total oxidation value (TOTOX, 4.38–8.15), acid value (0.03 mg KOH/g), moisture content (0.01% <i>w</i>/<i>w</i>), phosphorus content (1.28–1.94 ppm), iodine value (80.79–81.03), oleic acid (79.52–79.65%), and tocopherol content (65.26–87.00 mg/kg).