APPLICATIONS OF NANOTECHNOLOGY IN EDIBLE OILS AND FAT INDUSTRY

Mahesh KharatRupini S P

Yamuna Devi R

OS/YICC/CT- 23

Introduction• ‘Nano’ is derived from the Greek word for dwarf

• Nanotechnology can be referred as the understanding and control of matter at dimensions of roughly 1 -100 nm

• At the nano-scale, the laws of chemistry and physics work differently and materials develop unique properties not seen at normal particle size

• Eg., Opaque materials, such as copper and zinc, become transparent– Stable materials, such as aluminum become explosive– Solids such as gold turn into liquids

Two types of nanoparticles:• Fine particle – 100 – 2500 nanometers (nm)• Ultrafine – 1 – 100 nm

PROCESS

• EXTRACTION– Physical (heat, pressing)– Chemical (hexane)

PROCESS

• Demerits of solvent extraction:– Solvent recovery uses expensive (double-effect

evaporation and steam stripping) methods.– High energy consumption.– Aroma, flavor loss taking place in heat treatments.– Vigorous heating can lead to production of

undesirable components like PAH.– Operational difficulties and associated hazards to

labors and environment.

NANOTECHNOLOGY IN OIL EXTRACTION

• Use of microemulsions is GREEN approach.Tongcumpou et al., 2009.• Study introduced a novel technique using surfactant

microemulsion-based oil seed extraction. Two surfactants used were,

• Alfoterra145 (sodium alkyl polypropylene oxide sulfate, (R–(PO)x–SO4Na, R : C14-15, x: 5 or 8, 29% activity), anionic nature.

• Comperlan KD (coconut fatty acid diethanolamine, 98% activity), non-anionic.

NANOTECHNOLOGY IN OIL EXTRACTION

– The results showed that the efficiencies of oil extraction from both the microemulsion-based systems were statistically the same as the hexane extraction.

NANOTECHNOLOGY IN OIL EXTRACTION

– Also the quality aspects when determined and compared with that of hexane extracted oil, the micro-emulsion based extraction was found to give better quality oil.

Parameters (wt %) Hexane extraction Extraction with

microemulsion

Water in oil 0.385 0.191

C12 49.41 49.52

C14 17.56 17.44

C16 9.24 9.17

C18:0 2.73 2.74

C18:1 18.18 18.21

C18:2 2.88 2.92

NANOTECHNOLOGY IN OIL EXTRACTION

Solvent recovery by Nano-filtrationAdvantages of membrane filtration:• Separation can be performed at room temperature

and therefore it is adequate for heat-sensitive products, yielding a better quality product.

• Operating, maintenance and manufacturing costs are lower than those of heat processes.

• use can be carried out in a continuous or discontinuous way and it allows combination with other processes

NANOTECHNOLOGY IN OIL EXTRACTION

Solvent recovery by Nano-filtration

OIL Membrane materialP/T

conditions

Oil in feed (%)

Oil rejectio

n

References

soybean oilPorous alumina

anodisc (ceramic) 20nm, 1μm

4 kg/cm2 33% 94%Wu and Lee,

1999

soybean oilpolysulfone and

polysulfone/polyamide

15 bar, 450C

33% 67.12%Ribeiro et al.,

2006

sunflower oil

polyacrylonitrile-polydimethylsiloxan

e(PAN/PDMS)

7 bar, 22 0C 30% 80-96% Stafie et al., 2004

soybean oil Zeolite PDMS/PVDFcomposite 1.7 MPa 35% 96% Cai Weibin et

al., 2011

NANOTECHNOLOGY IN OIL EXTRACTION

Solvent recovery by Nano-filtrationDemerits of Membrane Filtration • Challenge for organic solvent nanofiltration

membranes is to achieve a membrane having high both, solvent compatibility and lifetime (Silva et al, 2008).

• The main problem in NF is the membrane stability when organic solvents are used as non-aqueous media (ethanol, acetone, hexane, etc.).

DEACIDIFICATION

• Principle• Selectivity of polymeric hydrophilic

nanofiltration (NF) membranes to allow permeation of FFAs is the basis of the process. The differences in molecular size, solubility, diffusivity and polarity between triacylglycerols and FFAs are important parameters.

DEACIDIFICATION

Membrane properties• High oil retention • Adequate permeate flux• Mechanical, thermal and chemical resistances• It should have low free fatty acid (FFA)

retention.

DEACIDIFICATION

Oil Membrane TMP/TPermeate flux

(Lm-2h-1)Oil retention

(%)FFA removal

(%)references

Veg. oil PEBAX 2 MPA 140 95% 98%Zwijnenberg et

al., 1999

Soybean oilPVDF-12%

siloxane composite

20 bar, 30 0C 20.3 80% 58%Firman et al.,

2012

Olive oilUF

Carbosep M1

- - - -Bottino et al.,

2008

DEGUMMING

• By water, acid and enzyme.• Significance of process:• This process is commonly done to recover phosphatides

to make lecithin & also to remove materials that can settle out during shipment or storage of pure oil.

• Gum sludge material is processed into lecithin, after drying & bleaching, or added back to wet bean meal.

• Lecithin is used in food due to its wetting, emulsifying, colloidal, antioxidant & physiological properties.

DEGUMMING

• DISADVANTAGES OF CONVENTIONAL METHODS• Gentle heating is time consuming.• High energy requirements.• High waste generation, hence waste treatment cost

increases.• Need control so as to not allow air into the process.• Chances of getting hydrolytic rancidity in

subsequent product.• Enzymatic degumming is costly process.

Membrane in Degumming of oil• Advantage• This technology enables the separation of compounds by

differences in size and molecular weight, with pressure as the driving force, and without the use of chemical products.

• Membrane processing combines bleaching and degumming into a single energy-efficient step.

• Operating temperatures for membrane processing are lower than conventional processing.

• Reduced oil losses and bleaching earth requirements are other potential advantages of membrane processing (Koseoglu and Engelgau, 1990).

• Better product quality.

Membrane in Degumming of oil

Oil Membrane TMP/TPermeate

flux (Lm-2h-1)Phospholipid retention (%)

Oil retention

(%)references

Corn oilalumina

multichannel ceramic

membrane

1.5 bar, 400C 120 93.5 - De Souza et

al., 2008

sunflower oil

Microdyne polipropylene

tube membrane

5 bar, 400C

0.3-0.4 L/m3 77% 97%Koris and

Vatai, 2002

Palm oil NTGS-22002 MPa, 400C

- 95-100 -Subramania

n et al., 2006.

HYDROGENATION

• Demerits of Conventional hydrogenation:• Side isomerization of some of the naturally occurring

cis double bonds leading to trans-fatty acids (TFA) such as elaidic acid. This results in various adverse health effects such as,– Double the risk of heart attack.– Interfere with vision in children.– Correlate with the increase in prostate and breast cancer.– Hinder liver detoxification.– Interfere with reproduction in animals.

HYDROGENATION

Selective hydrogenation over modified nanostructured catalyst• Belkacemi et al., 2006); and (Belkacemi and Hamoudi, 2009)• New formulated Pd-catalyst using SBA-15 as a nanostructured

silica support was studied• Positive results were obtained with respect to

– Retaintion of the mesoporous structure of its support.– Good resistance of against structure collapsing.– Excessive metal sintering.– Increased adsorption.– It produced less saturated acid and reached a better selectivity

towards monoenes formation.

RECENT STUDIES Rice Bran Oil: Nutritional enrichment (Sereewatthanawut et al., 2011)

NANOEMULSIONS • Physical properties different from those of microscale

emulsion

• Nanoscale droplets dispersed in continuous phase

• Extreme shear– to rupture the droplets – to overcome the effects of surface tension

Nanoemulsion• Interfacial tension can be reduced significantly by adding

amphiphilic surface-active molecules, or ‘surfactants’

• Formation• Ultrasonic emulsification• High pressure homogenization• Membrane Emulsiffication

• Factors: concentration of surfactant, shear stress

NANOEMULSIONS

Nanoencapsulation

• incorporation of ingredients in small vesicles or walled material with nano sizes

• Creation of nano-carriers for hydrophobic nutraceuticals

• Benefits• Increase in bioavailability • Protection • Optical transparency

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Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids

Omega-6 are fatty acids derived from linoleic acid (LA, 18:2), also an essential fatty acid. They work with Omega-3 to promote health

Omega-3 and Omega-6 are precursors for the synthesis of eicosanoids – hormone-like compounds, regulators of immune and inflammatory responses

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EPA and DHAMajor examples of long chain Omega-3 fatty acids

EPA (20:5) DHA (22:6)(Eicosapentaenoic Acid) (Docosahexaenoic Acid)

Lowers the level of cholesterol, cleans blood vessels, prevents stroke and

irregularity of the heart

Maintains and improves human memory and learning behavior

Nanoencapsulation : DHA

• Beta-lactoglobulin and Pectin nanocomplex

• highest protection against oxidation to DHA

• Stress test Result: only about 5–10% loss during 100 h, compared to about 80% loss when the unprotected DHA

• Linoleic acid and vitamin D encapsulation

Nanoencapsulation : α tocopherol

• wheat gliadin nanoparticles for vitamin E encapsulation– mean size of the nanoparticle obtained was 900 nm.– The entrapment efficiency ranged from 77% to 95%

• Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate (SDS) and Polyvinyl alcohol– encapsulated tocopherol could efficiently inhibit lipid

oxidation in oil-in-water (o/w) emulsions. – The particles were stable under simulated gastric and

intestinal conditions.

Nanoencapsulation : Phytosterol

– plant sterols, natural constituents of plants and are part of the broad group of isoprenoids

– Similar to Cholesterol Structure

– Added in margarine, cooking oil and spreads

– Reduction in Cholesterol absorption • daily intake of 2 grams of plant sterols or stanols similarly

reduces LDL-cholesterol by 10%.

Nanoceramic Catalyst• Prevents autoxidation of

deep-frying oil• OilFresh - Catalytic device

designed to prolong freshness of an oil

• Porous nanoceramic catalytic pellets contain silver

• Large surface area prevents oil from oxidizing and clumping

• Enhanced heat conduction

• Eliminates foul smells (ionized Ag)

• Eliminates redundant fatty remnants

Properties contributing to nanotoxicity

• Are more chemically reactive than larger particles• Have greater access to our bodies than larger

particles• Enhanced toxicity due to greater bioavailability• Can compromise our immune system response

Commercially Available Edible oil Products using Nanotechnology

Product Manufacturer Details Manufacturing

countryCanola Active oil Shemen Industries Ltd., Nanomicelles with

phytosterols to inhibit

cholesterol absorption

Isreal

Nutralease Nutralease Ltd., Nano-sized Self-

assembled Structured

Liquids (NSSL)

micelle encapsulates

lycopene, beta-

carotene, lutein,

phytosterols, CoQ10,

lipoic acid, and

DHA/EPA

IntroductionProduct Manufacturer Details Manufacturing

country

Oilfresh 1000 Oilfresh Designed to interact

with oil to enable

consistent production

of quality foods by

preserving oil

freshness

US

Tip Top Bread George Weston Foods

 

Contains

microcapsules of

tuna fish oil high in

Omega-3 fatty acids

Australia

Conclusion• Nanotechnology is becoming increasingly important for

the food sector

• In edible oil and fat industry nanotechnology have the potential to improve oil quality, nutritional benefits and extension of shelf life

• However, there are social and ethical issues of using nanotechnology in the food sector that must be considered

THANK YOU