Fractionation of Milk Fat by Short-Path Distillation

Abstract

Fractionation of milk fat by short-path distillation changes the chemical composition and physical properties of the resulting fractions. Increases in distillation temperature from 125 to 250 degrees C increased distillate yield from 0.3 to 42.7% (wt/wt). The distillate was enriched in short- and medium-chain fatty acids and low molecular weight acylglycerols, while the retentate was enriched in long-chain saturated and unsaturated fatty acids as well as high molecular weight acylglyerols. As distillation temperature increased, dropping points of the distillate increased. Relative to native milk fat, the solid fat content (SFC) vs. temperature melting profile of the distillate was depressed and that of the retentate was augmented, which correlated with the saturated long-chain fatty acid content in the fractions. Retentate crystallization parameters obtained by fitting the Avrami model to SFC-time data, did not change as a function of distillation temperature, but varied as a function of the degree of undercooling. Changes in microstructure observed by polarized light microscopy also appeared to be solely a function of the degree of undercooling, with no observable differences between retentates obtained at the different distillation temperatures. In addition, no changes in the retentate's free energy of nucleation (deltaGc) as a function of distillation temperature were found. The compressive storage modulus of the crystallized retentate increased as a function of increasing distillation temperature.

Fractionation of Short and Medium Chain Fatty Acid Ethyl Esters from a Blend of Oils via Ethanolysis and Short‐Path Distillation

“…Appreciable amounts of SCFA and MCFA (C4-C10) are present in milk fat, contributing up to 10 wt% of the fatty acid composition [20]. Coconut oil and certain coconut products contain approximately 50 wt% lauric acid and approximately 6-7 wt% capric acid [11].…”

“…The controlling factor is the rate at which the molecules escape from the heated surface of the distilling liquid and are received by the cooled condenser surface [20]. Hence, short-path distillation offers an alternative method to fractionate lipid samples into a heavy fraction (residue) and a light fraction (distillate) on the basis of volatility.…”

“…This technology is suitable for the separation, purification, and concentration of thermolabile substances with low vapor pressure. There are many examples of applications related to lipids: fractionation of ethyl esters from marine sources [19], fractionation of milk fat [20], or purification of structured lipids [21].…”

Rapid Analysis of Acylglycerols in Low Molecular Weight Milk Fat Fractions

“…Milk fat contains many compounds with novel functionality (e.g. short-chain fatty acids) [4][5][6][7], and industrialscale short-path distillation (SPD) is a popular technique for their separation and purification [8][9][10]. The development, optimization and control of a commercial MF SPD system requires an analysis technique that is fast, accurate and economical.…”

Effect of fractional crystallization on composition and thermal properties of engkabang (<i>Shorea macrophylla</i>) seed fat and cocoa butter

“…Alternatively, stateof-the art developments in fractional crystallization have paved the way for the production of hard stocks to meet the varying demands of the industry. As of date, considerable progress has been made in the fractionation of semi-solid fats such as palm oil , avocado butter (Yanty et al, 2013), milk fat (Campos et al, 2003), lard (Yanty et al, 2011), mee fat (Madhuca longifolia) (Marikkar et al, 2010), etc. In spite of their brittle and hard texture, the fractionation of stearic acid-rich fats such as CB, mahua fat (Madhuca latifolia), kokum fat (Garcinia indica), and phulwara butter (Madhuca butyracea) has been feasible to some extent.…”