Program: Collaborative Research Program for Alumni (CRA)
Field: Chemical Engineering
Principal Investigator: Dr. Nguyen Ngoc Hoang
Sending University: Hanoi University of Science and Technology (HUST)
Japanese Co-Investigator: Prof. Dr. Goto MONOTOBU
Japanese University: Nagoya University
Year: 2016
Abstract:
The Gac fruits is commonly found in Southeast Asian countries and mostly well known in Vietnam. Gac oil contains several essential fatty acids such as oleic acid, linoleic acid and palmitic acid. ๏-carotene and lycopene are carotenoids. Currently, in the scale of industrial production in Viet Nam, Gac oil is extracted mainly by mechanic-physical method with low efficiency, about 70%. In addition, another disadvantage of this method is the degradation of carotenoid compounds during the drying periods at high temperature.
This study focus on enhancing the recovery of carotenoids rich oil and reducing carotenoids degradation by extraction oil from fresh Gac arils using liquefied dimethyl ether (DME). The project also investigates the solubility of carotenoids rich oil in the solvent. The optimum extraction condition will be studied as well.
This research have been strengthened the cooperation and collaboration between our laboratory and Prof. Goto’s laboratory in Nagoya University. Thereby, we will send student to Nagoya University for laboratory visit. This project have been help to enhance the capability of our laboratory in term of laboratory facility and research capacity on DME extraction. This study focus on enhancing the recovery extraction oil from fresh Gac. Thereby, it will address the common concern in agricultural and food production in Vietnam which is noncompetitive products in term of both price and quality. This consequently set a basic foundation facilitated a further research collaboration with industries in the same field.