An improved aqueous extraction method has been established for extraction of oil from corn germs. This method primarily included steam explosion pretreatment and aqueous ethanol extraction. Process variables such as steam pressure, resident time, particle size and ethanol concentration were investigated.
Can corn germs be milled before oil extraction?
Grinding oilseeds prior to oil extraction may enlarge the interface between material particles and aqueous solvent or enzyme, and then enhance free oil yield. In previous research, colloid milling was employed to mill corn germs (Dickey et al. 2010 ). In this study, a dry milling method was developed to grind corn germ.
Does corn germ powder affect oil recovery?
Besides the ethanol concentration, particle size of corn germ powder could also influence the oil recovery. Grinding oilseeds prior to oil extraction may enlarge the interface between material particles and aqueous solvent or enzyme, and then enhance free oil yield.
Can ethanol extract free oil from corn germ slurry?
Ethanol is a non-toxic and efficient emulsion splitter which has been used in vegetable oil separate emulsion to recover free oil (Chi et al. 2014 ). In the present study, modest ethanol was added into water to be an extraction agent to obtain free oil from corn germ slurry.