In this work, the extraction and simultaneous separation of lipids from Brazil nuts (Bertholletia excelsa H.B.K.) with ethanol were investigated. Brazil nuts were dried and triturated prior to oil extraction. The process was carried out at a rate of 4:1 solvent to substrate (v.w-1). The raw material and ethanol were placed in an erlenmeyer flask and maintained in a temperature-controlled bath at 65 °C and 30 rpm. After 1 hour, the mixture was filtered under a vacuum and the resultant miscella was maintained at 10 °C and centrifuged for phase separation. A rich miscella containing 75% oil and 25% ethanol was obtained presenting a gel consistency while a poor miscella, containing 2.4% oil and 97.6% ethanol, was liquid. The rich miscella presented an important potential to partially replace hydrogenate fats in the food industry. Scientific studies indicated that the consumption of trans fatty acids promote serious health effects. Furthermore, the proposed technology can be extended to different commercial oleaginous by eliminating the use of n-hexane in vegetable oils extraction.
vegetable fats; fatty acids; solubility; ethanol
