Assessment of Scalable Fractionation Methodologies to Produce Concentrated Lauric Acid from Black Soldier Fly (Hermetia illucens) Larvae Fat.

ABSTRACT: In the present study, different methodologies with potential scalability and environmental friendliness, such as winterization, supercritical fluid extraction, and multistage distillation, were evaluated for lauric acid concentration. In all cases, to facilitate fractionation, the transformation of triacylglycerols into free fatty acids or fatty acid ethyl esters was required as a previous step. For the winterization experimental assays, the amount and type of solvent was studied, resulting in a product containing ~65% lauric acid with a recovery of ~81% using a 1:10 oil-to-solvent ratio with hexane. On the other hand, the experimental extraction with supercritical carbon dioxide in a counter current packed column at 55 °C, 115 bar, and 70 g CO₂/min, resulted in a product compos

SUBMITTER: Vazquez L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11857038 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature