Refined vegetable oils and extracts thereof
AssigneeUniversity of Massachusetts
InventorsCarl W. Lawton, Robert Nicolosi, Stephen McCarthy
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method of producing unsaponifiable rich refined vegetable oils by refining crude vegetable oils with a weak acid salt, e.g., a carbonate salt, to produce a refined vegetable oil and a soapstock is described. The refined oil can be further refined with a strong base to produce unsaponifiable rich concentrates.
Claims48
A method of refining a crude vegetable oil to obtain a refined vegetable oil having a high level of at least one unsaponifiable phenolic compound and a low level of free fatty acids, the method comprising
- combining a crude vegetable oil comprising a high level of at least one of its naturally occurring unsaponifiable phenolic compounds with a first solution comprising a weak acid salt and mixing for a time and at ambient temperature to produce a residue containing a high level of free fatty acids;
- and
- separating the residue from the vegetable oil to produce a refined vegetable oil comprising a high level of at least one unsaponifiable phenolic compound.
A method of obtaining a refined vegetable oil concentrate having a high level of at least one unsaponifiable phenolic compound and a low level of free fatty acids, the method comprising
- combining a vegetable oil comprising a high level of at least one of its naturally occurring unsaponifiable phenolic compounds with a first solution comprising a weak acid salt and mixing for a time and at a temperature sufficient to produce a residue containing a high level of free fatty acids;
- separating the residue from the vegetable oil to produce a refined vegetable oil comprising a high level of at least one unsaponifiable phenolic compound;
- combining the refined vegetable oil with a second solution comprising a strong base, the second solution having a pH of at least 11.0, and mixing for a time and at a temperature sufficient to produce a concentrate;
- and
- separating the concentrate from the refined vegetable oil, wherein the concentrate contains a second high level of at least one unsaponifiable phenolic compound and a second low level of free fatty acids.
A method of refining a vegetable oil to obtain a refined vegetable oil having a high level of at least one unsaponifiable phenolic compound and a low level of free fatty acids, the method comprising
- combining a vegetable oil comprising a high level of at least one of its naturally occurring unsaponifiable phenolic compounds with a first solution comprising a weak acid salt and mixing for a time and at ambient pressure to produce a residue containing a high level of free fatty acids;
- and
- separating the residue from the vegetable oil to produce a refined vegetable oil comprising a high level of at least one unsaponifiable phenolic compound.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.