Fractionation of passion fruit (Passiflora edulis) seed oil using adsorption process with zeolite NA13X

Abstract

The utilization of food industry by-products in many applications as the generation of energy, materials manufacture, and bioactive compounds obtention is an important way to add value to these residues. Phytochemicals such as tocopherols, carotenes, and phytosterols are still less explored through safety extraction methods to further application in food and cosmetics. Extracts obtained using supercritical CO2 show the potential to be used once CO2 is a safe and easier solvent to be separated from final products. It is necessary to enhance the nutritional and economic value of extracts by adding another step after extraction: fractionation. There are different ways to concentrate extracts as changes in pressure and temperature, membranes and packed columns with adsorbent materials. The aim of this work is to explore different separation process conditions to concentrate bioactive compounds from passion fruit seed oil using a packed column filled with zeolite NA13X. Characterization of raw material and extracts (composition and quantification of tools and phytosterols) and bed (porosity and densities) will be done and statics will be applied using ANOVA and Tukey test at 5% significance level.