SOLVENT-EXTRACTION OF OIL FROM SOYBEAN FLOUR .1. EXTRACTION RATE, A COUNTERCURRENT EXTRACTION SYSTEM, AND OIL QUALITY

Measurements of rates of oil extraction from either fine flour or soybean flakes in a column showed that oil extraction from flour was dependent on the volume of solvent, but oil extraction from flakes depended on time of contact rather than volume of solvent. We interpreted the data to mean that oil was being washed out of the fine flour with little diffusion involved, whereas in flakes, the limit on rate was diffusion of the solvent into and out of the tissue. Fine full fat flour worked well in a batchwise countercurrent extraction system with mixing and centrifugal separation. Because the oil dissolved immediately and reached equilibrium rapidly, the actual material balance was close to calculated values. However, due to the large hold-up volume, the separation of miscella from the meal required several mixing and separation stages. The oil resulting from this countercurrent extraction system had a superior quality with 37 ppm phosphorus, 0.08% free fatty acids, and a light color.