K. J. Moulton

Quality of oil from damaged soybeans

Abstract and SummaryVarious processing steps were explored in an at-tempt to improve the quality of oil from field- and storage-damaged soybeans. A crude soybean oil (5.7% free fatty acid) commercially extracted from damaged soybeans was degummed in the laboratory with different reagents: water, phosphoric acid, and acetic anhydride. Two alkali strengths, each at 0.1 and 0.5% excess, were used to refine each degummed oil. After vacuum bleaching (0.5% activated earth) and deodorization (210 C, 3 hr), these oils were un-acceptable as salad oils. A flavor score of 6.0 or higher characterizes a satisfactory oil. Scores of water and phosphoric acid degummed oils ranged from 4.5 to 5.1, while acetic anhydride degummed oils aver-aged 5.6. Flavor evaluations of (phosphoric acid de-gummed) single- and double-refined oils (210 C deodorization) showed that the latter were signifi-cantly better. Flavor scores increased from 5.0 to about 6.0. To study the effects of deodorization tem-perature, the crude commercial oil was alkali-refined, water-washed and bleached with 0.5% activated earth, but the degumming step was omitted. Flavor evalua-tion of oil deodorized at 210, 230, and 260 C showed that each temperature increment raised flavor scores significantly. Further evaluations of specially proc-essed oils (water, phosphoric acid, and acetic anhy-dride degummed oils given single and double refinings and deodorized at 260 C) showed that deodorization temperature is the most important factor affecting the initial quality of oil from damaged beans. Flavor evaluations showed that hydrogenation and hydro-genation-winterization treatments produced oils of high initial quality, but with poorer keeping proper-ties than oils from normal beans. No evidence was found implicating nonhydratable phosphatides in the oil flavor problem. Iron had a deleterious effect in oils not treated with citric acid during deodorization.

Effects of hydrogenation and additives on cooking oil performance of soybean oil

Soybean oil was continuously hydrogenated in a slurry system to investigate the effects of linolenate content and additives on cooking oil performance. Room odor evaluations carried out on oils heated to 190 C after frying bread cubes showed that the oils hydrogenated with Cu catalyst to 2.4% linolenate (Cu-2.4) and with Ni catalyst to 4.6 linolenate (Ni-4.6) had a significantly lower odor intensity score than the unhydrogenated soybean oil (SBO). Other hydrogenated oils (Cu-0.5 and Ni-2.7) were not significantly better than SBO. Oil hydrogenated with Ni (Ni-0.4) scored poorly because of its strong “hydrogenated-paraffin” odor. The performance of all partially hydrogenated oils (2.4, 2.7 and 4.6% linolenate) was improved by adding methyl silicone (MS), but the most hydrogenated oils (0.5 and 0.4% linolenate) were not improved. Although with tertiary butyl hydroquinone (TBHQ) no improvement was obtained, with the combination of TBHQ + MS all odor scores were lower, indicating a synergistic effect. Evaluations of bread cubes after intermittent heating and frying showed that the breads fried in most hydrogenated oils (Ni-0.4, Cu-2.4 and Ni-2.7) were rated significantly better in flavor quality than breads fried in SBO. The bread cubes fried in MS-treated oils had significantly higher flavor quality scores than breads fried in SBO or SBO containing TBHQ. Dimer analyses by gel permeation chromatography and color development after heat treatments also did not correlate with sensory analyses.

Continuous Ultrasonic Degumming of Crude Soybean Oil

Ultrasonic energy has been applied to continuous degumming for the efficient removal of phospholipids from crude soybean oil. The crude oil and water (2.0% by weight) were pumped through an ultrasonic processing cell, oil and hydrated gums were separated by centrifugation, and the recovered oil was vacuum bleached. The degummed and bleached oil had a residual phosphorus content of less than 10 ppm and was subsequently deacidified-deodorized in all-glass laboratory deodorization equipment. Odor and flavor evaluation indicated that the salad oil produced by the process of ultrasonic degumming/deodorization-deacidification was equivalent in quality and stability to a conventionally processed salad oil.

Flavor evaluation of crude oil to predict the quality of soybean oil

Reliable methods for evaluation of crude oils are needed to assist processing and to improve flavor quality of finished products. The quality of crude oils from soybeans of different sources and treatments was determined by sensory evaluation and by capillary gas chromatographic (GC) analyses of volatiles. Taste panelists were specially trained in using a new technique to evaluate crude oils by dilution and comparison with freshly deodorized oils. The flavor quality of crude oils from untempered soybeans was significantly poorer than that of oils from soybeans steam-tempered at 104 C for four min. Capillary GC analyses of total volatiles and hexanal correlated well with differences in flavor quality and stability. Crude oils extracted from soybeans damaged by storage at 45 C and 13% moisture received decreasing flavor scores with prolonged storage time. Similarlly, hexanal and total volatile contents increased with storage times. Commercial crude oils from several geographic locations showed a wide range in flavor scores. However, flavor scores of crude oils showed good agreement with flavor stabilities (decrease in flavor scores after storage at 60 C) of the corresponding oils after refining, bleaching, and deodorization. Therefore, the combined use, of sensory evaluations and GC-volatile analyses of crude oils can provide convenient, rapid, sensitive and reliable screening methods to assist in improving the quality of finished soybean oils by controlling soybean storage and processing.

Critical processing factors in desolventizing-toasting soybean meal for feed

Even though it is well established that both underheated and overheated meals are of inferior nutritive value, comparatively little is known of the fundamental nature of the changes brought about in the protein and how these correlate with the processing conditions during toasting. In the present study we examined the interrelation of several factors in the commercial desolventizing-toasting process for toasting soybean meal and determined how these relate to protein quality of the meal. A total of 48 test runs were made in the pilot plant from two cultivars of soybeans (one high and one low in protein) that were dehulled, flaked, and defatted in a continuous extractor using hexane. The solvent-wet flakes were desolventized and toasted under a variety of conditions. In a simulation of commercial operation, independent variables such as moisture, temperature and time of toasting were mathematically converted to equations for computer fitting of the data, which were used to predict several dependent measurements. Quality of the meal was improved by increasing heating time, jacket steam pressure and moisture content. Moisture level in the toasting operation was directly affected by the hexane level in the feed material to the toaster.

Turbidimetric measurement of wax in sunflower oil

Wax content in sunflower oil may be estimated quickly at room temperature by a turbidimetric method. Five ml of a throughly mixed oil/solvent mixture is transferred to a 13-mm sample vial and inserted in a turbidimeter. Instrument reading are converted directly to wax content in the original suflower oil by means of a correlation equation. This rapid method can be used over a wider range of wax values than previous methods.

Continuous ultrasonic hydrogenation of soybean oil. II. Operating conditions and oil quality

In previous work we found that ultrasonic energy greatly enhanced the rate of hydrogenation of soybean oil. We have now investigated parameters of ultrasonic hydrogenation and the quality of the resulting products. Refined and bleached soybean oil was hydrogenated continuously with and without ultrasonic energy at different temperatures, pressures and catalyst concentrations. Flavor and oxidative stability of the oils were compared with a commercially hydrogenated soybean oil. The extent of hydrogenation (ΔIV) was not affected by temperature between 245 and 290 C, but was greater at 106 psig than at 65 psig hydrogen pressure. The ΔIV of hydrogenated oils increased linearly with catalyst concentration from 40 ppm to 150 ppm nickel. At the same catalyst concentration the IV drop was significantly increased when ultrasonic energy was used. By reducing the amount of power supplied to the ultrasonic reactor to 40% of full power, the specific power (watts/ΔIV) was lowered by 60%. Linolenate selectivities and specific isomerization (%trans/ΔIV) remained the same, but linoleate selectivities were lower than for batch hydrogenation under varied operating parameters. Flavor scores were not significantly different, initially or after storage eight days at 60 C, for oils continuously hydrogenated with and without ultrasonic energy. Hydrogenation of soybean oil with ultrasonic energy offers a method to produce good quality products at potentially lower cost than present methods.

Flavor evaluation of copper-nickel hydrogenated soybean oil and blends with unhydrogenated oil

Soybean oils hydrogenated to zero linolenate in the pilot plant with a mixed copper-nickel catalyst and a straight copper chromite catalyst were evaluated and compared for flavor and odor. Hydrogenated oils were winterized and deodorized and stabilized with butylated hydroxytoluene, butylated hydroxyanisole, citric acid, and methyl silicone. Taste panel flavor scores of stored oils and room odor scores of oil at frying temperature were similar for oils hydrogenated either with straight copper chromite or with mixed copper chromite-nickel catalysts. Blends containing 1, 2, and 3% linolenate made from unhydrogenated soybean salad oil and soybean oil hydrogenated to 0% linolenate with mixed copper chromite-nickel catalyst were similarly evaluated. Panel responses indicated a blend of 29% unhydrogenated soybean salad oil and 71% hydrogenated soybean oil scored slightly lower than the hydrogenated soybean oil.

Removal of copper from hydrogenated soybean oil

Hydrogenation with a copper-chromite catalyst at 170 C, 30 psi, increased the copper content of a refined, bleached soybean oil from 0.02 to as much as 3.8 ppm. Removing residual copper from soybean oil is essential to the successful use of copper catalysts for selective hydrogenation. Various methods were examined to remove this copper, including alkali refining, bleaching, acid washing, citric acid treatment and cation-exchange resin treatment. Properly conducted, each of the methods except alkali refining gives 95% or higher removal of copper introduced during hydrogenation. Ion exchange appears to be the most economical, but addition of about 0.01% citric acid during deodorization may be needed to inactivate traces of unremoved copper. Soybean oil hydrogenated with a copper-chromite catalyst, bleached or treated with an ion-exchange resin and deodorized with 0.01% citric acid added had low AOM peroxide values and acceptable flavor scores after eight days at 60 C which indicate that removal of residual copper from the oil should be adequate for the production of stable oils low in linolenic acid content.

Copper-hydrogenated soybean and linseed oils: Composition, organoleptic quality and oxidative stability

Copper and nickel hydrogenations give a wide distribution of double bonds in the monoene fraction from both reduced soybean and linseed oils. With copper catalysts, high pressure hydrogenation reduces the extent of this double bond distribution when compared with low pressure hydrogenation. With nickel catalysts, some Δ17-octadecenoate is formed but less than with a copper catalyst. In room odor evaluations, copper-hydrogenated soybean (CuHSB) oil gave higher scores and lower fishy responses than nickel-hydrogenated soybean oil after both had been exposed to fluorescent light. A mixture of CuHSB oil (33%) and peanut oil received room odor scores equal to or better than peanut oil alone, whether light exposed or not. Although hydrogenated products with remarkable stability to oxidation were obtained by copper hydrogenation of linseed oil, these oils have lower organoleptic stability when compared to nickel-hydrogenated, winterized soybean oil.