Coconut Oil Extraction by a New Enzymatic Process

OCTAVIO CINTRA McGLONE, AGUSTiN LOPEZ-MUNGUIA CANALES, and JAIME VERNON CARTER

ABSTRACT Table l-Proximate analysis of four different samples of coconut meat

A new method for coconut oil extraction based on the enzymatic g/lOOg coconut Standard
action of polygalacturonases, a-amylase and proteases on a diluted Constituent meat deviation
coconut paste was developed. After reaction with enzymes, the so- Water 46.12 1.95
lution was centrifuged resulting in three phases: the upper one con- Protein 3.8 0.15
taining a high quality coconut oil; the middle layer containing water; Oil 27.6 0.4
Ash 0.91 0.03
and the lower phase consisting of coconut meal which has been tra-
Crude fiber 16.9 0.65
ditionally used in cattle feed. Eighty percent yields were obtained by Carbohydratesa 2.67 -
this method which was advantageous from the energy point of view
compared to the traditional process. a By difference.

INTRODUCTION
CURRENTLY, two main processes for the extraction of oil
from seeds are of industrial importance: the hydraulic process 100
plus further purification, and the chemical process, using or- I
ganic solvents (Hagenmainer et al., 1973; Woodroot, 1979). 2 80-
An important raw material for oil production is the coconut, t
E
which provides the food and other industries with an oil of 5 60-
excellent quality. Nevertheless, the actual process results in at 8
least 30% losses both in the process and in the treatment of i
40-
the raw materials. .
Oil is usually inside of vegetative cells, linked with other
macromolecules, so that upon partial hydrolysis, oil extraction 20-
can be enhanced (Gunetileke and Laurentius, 1974). Since these
macromolecules may include proteins and a wide variety of I I I I

carbohydrates (starch, cellulose, hemicellulose, pectin), the control 113 1;4 II5 l/6 117 I;8
hydrolysis treatment should be carried out by means of appro-
priate enzymes. The objective of this work was to develop a Dilution Ratio

method for coconut oil extraction based on a biological process Fig. l-Effect of coconut meat dilution on oil extraction yield.
in order to minimize the energy cost of extraction. There are (Enzymes I%, T=40”Cj. After reaction, the emulsion was cen-
no reports in the literature specifically related with such a process, trifuged at 12,300 x g).
although enzymes have been used to enhance extraction in
industrial processing of some plant tissues (Godfrey and Rei- optical standard microscope equipped with a micrometer. The average
chelt, 1983). diameter (Da) was calculated as:

MATERIALS AND METHODS

COCONUTS, obtained in Guerrero, MCxico (Jamaica tall), were
classified in terms of maturity by proximate analysis. Polygalacturon-
Da=
*ID31 + n,D3, + n3D3, +
nl + n2 + n3

where n, , n2, n3 . . ni are the numbers of particles or oil drops with

+ ni
+ NiD3i
1
1,3

ases (Clarex), amylases (Tanase), cellulases (Celluferm), and pro- diameter DI, DZ, D3 Di respectively.
teases (HT-proteolytic) were kindly provided by ENMEX, S.A. In order to evaluate the stability, the number of particles by unit
volume (N) for each diameter was determined using the following
Proximate analysis equation:
Fat was measured by the Soxhlet method, protein by Kjeldahl and 6 6 x lOI*
fiber, ash and carbohydrates as reported in AOAC (1975). N=
T Da3

Emulsion stability where 4 is the volume fraction of the disperse phase, defined as:
Emulsion stability was determined by the method of Sherman (I%@, Volumetric cone of disperse phase
+=
once the optimal dilution for enzymatic reaction was found. The method Volumetric concentration + Volumetric concentration
is based on the measurement of particle size in a drop of a solution of disperse phase of continuous phase
prepared with the emulsion. This procedure was carried out as a func-
tion of enzymatic reaction time. The measurement was made with an With these data a graph of log N versus time (in which the aliquots
were taken) can be constructed. A straight line is obtained; the slope
is the coalescence rate. The stability of the emulsion is inversely
proportional to the coalescence rate; the emulsion is stable if this
Authors McGlone and Lopez-Munguia Canales are with Depar- parameter falls between lo-’ to IO- ‘* , but it is not stable if higher
tamento de Alimentos, Divisidn de Estudios de Posgrado, Fa- values are obtained.
c&ad de Quimica, Universidad National Autdnoma de Mkxico,
04510 Mt5xico D.F. Mgxico. Author Carter is with Departamento Enzymatic and extraction procedures
de Procesos e Hidrriulica, Area lngenieria, Quimica, Universidad
Before the addition of enzymes and dependent on the hydrolytic
Autdnoma Metropolitana, Unidad lztapalapa, Mkxico D. F.
nature of the reactions involved, a proper dilution of the chopped

Volume 51, No. 3, 19864OURNAL OF FOOD SCIENCE-695 I

 COCONUT OIL EXTRACTION. ..
Enzyme Concentration
A Control without enzyme

lo- 8 3% (WV)

100 I-

80

8- P
60
P
s
s
‘= 40
P
6- i
20

h L I
0 50 100 150 200 2500 5000 7500. 10000 12500 rpm

Reacfio” Tmw (Mmutas )

(768) (3074) (6917) (12298) (19215) (xs)

Fig. Z-Emulsion stability during the enzymatic reaction at 40°C Centnfugation Speed

at different enzyme concentrations (N=number of particles per Fig. 4-Effect of centrifugation speed on extraction yield after
unit volume). enzymatic reaction (centrifugation time: 10 min).

Table Z-Selection of enzymes for the oil extraction process in terms of

extraction yield Table 3-Selection of enzyme concentration in the extraction process in
terms of extraction yield
Enzymesa Extraction yield %
12 Enzyme concentration t% w/v) Extraction
Control
Protease 19 PG= a-Amvlase Protease vield W)
u-Amylase 31.2 1 1 1 80
Polygalacturonase (PG) 40.1 0.5 0.5 0.5 80
PG and protease 49 0.1 0.1 0.1 80
PG and a-amylase 58.9 0.01 0.01 0.01 49
PG. u-amvlase and orotease 80 0.1 0.05 0.05 65
a All enzvmes added at 1% w/v a Polygalacturonase

Table 4-Characterization of the extracted oil

Extracted Official Mexican Standarda
Oil Minimum Maximum
Free fatty acids
(as oleic) % 0.07 - 0.05
Specific gravity
at 25125°C 0.92 0.917 0.919
Refractive index 1.450 1.448 1.450
Iodine absorption
number 9.0 7.5 -
Saponification number 259 251 264
sugars Protein
Melting point of fats
and fatty acids (“C) 23 20 24
Peroxide value (ppm) 0.90 - 2.0
Reichter-Meissl v&e % 0.05 - 0.05
a SECOFI (1976)

2 4 6 8 IO

Reaction Time (Minutes)
Fig. 3-Effect of time and temperature on enzymatic reactions
of coconut meat solution (1:4), determined as reducing sugars
(glucose) and soluble protein (albumin). A mixture of 0.1% (WI
v) of all the enzymes was used.
(Moulinex grinder) coconut meat was investigated, forming an emul-
sion at the same time. To evaluate the optimal dilution level, a mixture
of enzymes (amylases, polygalacturonases (PC), proteases and cel-
lulases) in dry form was added to the emulsion prepared at different
coconut meat/water ratios. After 30 min reaction at 4O”C, the solution
was decanted and centrifuged at 12,300 x g and the extracted oil
quantified.
The centrifugation conditions were also optimized. The reaction
product was centrifuged (DAMONIIEC Division) in the range of 760-
19,200 x g at room temperature (2&22”C) and the extraction yield
quantified.
A semipilot plant experiment was carried out in a 14L fermentor
used as a reactor vessel. Two kilograms of coconut meat were chopped
and mixed with water in a 1:4 ratio. The temperature was fixed at
4O”C, 0.1% of enzymes added (w/v) and agitation was provided for
the enzymatic reaction (200 rpm). After 20 min of reaction the emul-
sion was decanted and centrifuged at 12,300 x g.
Reduced sugars and proteins were determined by the methods of
Summer and Howell (1935) and Lowry et al. (1951), respectively.
Finally, the quality of the product was evaluated according to the
Official Mexican standard (SECOFI, 1976), following the methods
reported in AOAC (1975).
Extraction yield
The reported yield was calculated based on the initial coconut oil
content (determined by Soxhlet) and direct measurement of the vol-
ume and weight of the oil obtained after centrifugation of the reaction
mixture.

696-JOURNAL Of FOOD SCIENCE-Volume 51, No. 3, 1986

 RESULTS & DISCUSSION
THE RESULTS of the proximate analysis of four different
samples of coconut meat are shown in Table 1. The selected
samples were in a similar state of maturity and served as the
basis for evaluating the efficiency of the extraction process as
well as the selection of enzymes that could react with the
coconut tissue.
A dilution of 1:4 gives the highest extraction yield (Fig. 1).
At this dilution level, the stability of the emulsion was deter-
mined at three different enzyme concentrations as described.
These results are summarized in Fig. 2, from which it can be
concluded that the emulsion formed is very unstable and rapid
separation of oil can be achieved. This instability was not
related to the action of enzymes as the coalescence rates were
very small (slope of the straight lines) and there were no sig-
nificant differences between the control and the emulsions with
the added enzymes.
In order to select the enzymes that were involved in the
separation process, the reaction was carried out using each one
separately as well as mixtures, all being added at 1%. The
results are shown in Table 2, where the maximum extraction
yield was found for the mixture of the three enzymes, after
eliminating the cellulase because of the lower activity with the
emulsion. This result was probably due to the low cellulose
content in the cellular structure from which oil was liberated.
Once these three enzymes were selected, the concentration
was optimized. The same extraction yield was obtained even
when the concentration was reduced tenfold from the original,
which was selected in terms of activity units as defined by the
manufacturer. These results are shown in Table 2.
To characterize the modification carried out by the enzymes
during the reaction, both reducing sugars and soluble protein
were measured during the reaction at three different tempera-
tures. These results are reported in Fig. 3 where no further
change is observed after 10 min, both in reducing sugars and
soluble protein. The highest yield after centrifugation was ob-
tained for the reaction carried out at 40°C; therefore, time of
reaction and temperature were defined with the experiment.
The final step of the extraction was centrifugation which
could be carried out at different conditions. When the centri-
fugation time was fixed at 10 min, the extraction yield in-
creased with centrifugation speed until a maximum of 80%
ATTRITION OF COFFEE. . .From page 690
plexity of the attrition phenomenon and its dependency on
some difficult to define or measure factors (e.g. agglomerate
morphology and strength, interparticle impact intensity, ac-
celerations and their distribution in the bed, and the temporal
relationships of all the above), the process itself can still be
described by simple phenomenological models which were found
to be applicable under a wide range of experimental conditions.
The mathematical methods described in the work, despite being
unspecific from a mechanistic viewpoint and, to some extent
even crude, were still sensitive enough to capture the main
features of the attrition kinetics, thus making them practical
and convenient tools for the phenomenon’s analysis and quan-
titative evaluation of its progress.
REFERENCES
Austin, LG. 1972. Introduction to the mathematical description of grind-
ing as a rate process. Powder Technol. 5: 1.
Volume 51, No. 3, 7986dOURNAL
was obtained at 12,300 X g. These results are shown in Fig.
4.
In the semipilot plant experiment, a final volume of 420 mL
was obtained from 2 kg of coconut meat. This volume corre-
sponded to a 14.7% yield which was slightly lower than the
80% obtained in the laboratory experiments. This yield reduc-
tion was certainly due to the particle size which played an
important role in the extraction process. Particles could not be
reduced in the semipilot plant experiment to the small size
obtained in the laboratory.
Results of the quality of the oil are reported in Table 3 where
the analyses of the product are compared with the Official
Mexican standard. Without any further purification, the oil,
obtained after reaction and centrifugation, had an excellent
quality and with a simple deodorization process could be read-
ily used in existing food applications.
CONCLUSIONS
COCONUT OIL in high yields and good quality compared to
Official Mexican standards can be produced by a new process
which utilizes enzymes to hydrolyze cellular material in co-
conut meat and release the oil which can be recovered by
centrifugation. Similar processes for the extraction of oils from
other seeds should be feasible and are now being investigated.
REFERENCES
AOAC. 1975. “Official Methods of Analysis,” 12th ed. Association of Of-
ficial Analytical Chemists, Washington, DC.
Goodfrey, T. and Reichelt, J. 1983. Plant tissues. In: “Industrial Enzy-
mology; The Application of Enzymes in Industry”, p. 340. The Nature
Press, New York.
Gunetileke, KS. and Laurentius, SF., 1974. Conditions for the separation
of oil and protein from coconut milk emulsion. J. Food Sci. 39: 230.
Hagenmainer, R., Cater, C.M., and Mattil, K.F., 1973. Aqueous processing
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This work is part of the project supported by the Particulate and Multiphase Pmcesses
program of the NSF (Grant No. CPE 8206765) in cooperation with General Foods
Corporation. The authors express their thanks to the sponsors for their support and to
Mr. Richard J. Grant for the graphical aid.
OF FOOD SCIENCE-697