Anhydrous Milk Fat Fractionation with Continuous Countercurrent Supercritical Carbon Dioxide

Abstract

ABSTRACT A continuous pilot‐scale supercritical carbon dioxide system was designed and built for separation and fractionation up to 400 g/hr of anhydrous milk fat. This fat was separated into five fractions (S1‐S5) in the pressure range 24.1–3.4 MPa at 40–75°C. The solvent/feed ratio was 62 with extraction yield 78 wt%. The short‐chain (C4‐C8) and medium‐chain (C10‐C12) fatty acids increased from S1S5. The long‐chain and unsaturated fatty acids (C14‐C18) decreased gradually from S1‐S5. The triglycerides followed the same trend as fatty acids. Cholestrol content decreased by 51% and β‐carotene concentration increased by 145% in the raffinate (S1).