Simultaneous extraction and separation of oil, proteins, and glucosinolates from Moringa oleifera seeds. (1st December 2019) - Chen, Rui
Highlights: M. oleifera seeds are rich in oil, proteins, and glucosinolates (GLC). Oil, proteins, and GLC were simultaneously extracted by more than 95%. Purified oil, proteins, and GLC yielded at 22.3%, 33.0%, and 5.5%, respectively. Refined oil had 76.3% unsaturated fatty acids and 72.3% oleic acid. GLC was identified by LC-MS as 4-α-rhamnopyranosyloxy-benzyl glucosinolate. Abstract: Moringa oleifera is a worldwide cultivated edible and medicinal plant. Its seeds are rich in oil, proteins, and glucosinolates. A practical method was developed to simultaneously extract and separate the three groups of substances from M. oleifera seeds. Smashed seed material was loaded into columns with petroleum ether: ethanol 8:2 (PE-ethanol) and eluted sequentially with 4.8-fold PE-ethanol to extract oil, and 10.8-fold water to extract proteins and glucosinolates. More than 95% of oil, proteins, and glucosinolates were extracted. The extracts were separated automatically into ether (oil) phase and ethanol aqueous phase. The latter was further separated into proteins and glucosinolates by 70% ethanol precipitation. The main glucosinolate was identified by LC-MS as GLC (4-α-rhamnopyranosyloxy-benzyl glucosinolate). After purification, 22.3 g refined oil, 33.0 g proteins, and 5.5 g purified GLC from 100 g M. oleifera seeds were obtained. This study provides a simple and high-efficient method to utilize M. oleifera seeds.