A new short‐path distillation system applied to the reduction of cholesterol in butter and lard

Abstract

Abstract A molecular distillation plant, built particularly to increase the separation efficiency and to obtain safer working conditions, was tested to remove cholesterol from anhydrous butter and lard. A preliminary experiment was carried out with butter to evaluate the fractionation obtained at temperatures between 190 and 250°C and residual pressures between 10 −3 and 10 −4 torr. A second experiment was carried out at 185°C and at the maximum operational vacuum, evaluating the fractionation achieved within a time scale between 30 and 180 min. Cholesterol was almost completely removed during the second hour with minimal loss of low‐molecular weight triglycerides. An experiment was carried out with lard at 250°C and maximum achievable operational vacuum (10 −4 Torr), lasting approximately 6 h, and cholesterol was removed almost completely during the second hour without significant modifications in the triglyceride composition. This situation remained constant throughout the duration of the test.