Ecology, Environment and Conservation Paper

EXTRACTION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF SESAME SEED OIL USING MICROWAVE-ASSISTED GREEN SOLVENT TECHNOLOGY

Dharmender, Indra Mani, Sangeeta Chopra, Roaf Ahmad Parray, Arun Kumar T.V, Shalini Gaur Rudra, Mukesh Kumar and Arpan Bhowmik

Abstract

This research article explores the use of microwave-assisted green solvent technology for the extraction and characterization of oil from sesame seeds. The study highlights the efficiency of this method as an alternative to conventional solvent extraction techniques. The study used five solvents, including ethanol, methanol, ethyl acetate, acetone, and isopropanol, and conducted the extraction with the microwave-assisted method. The results showed that iso-propanol had the highest oil yield of 36.29%, followed by ethyl acetate, which had a yield of 32.39%. Methanol had the lowest yield of 25.79% and was not recommended due to its high toxicity and potential damage to lipid structure. The study demonstrated that the choice of solvent is a critical factor in optimizing oil yield in extraction processes. The use of isopropanol and ethyl acetate as green solvents for oil extraction from sesame seeds could be a promising alternative to traditional solvent extraction methods. The physico-chemical characteristics of the oils extracted using various methods were also compared, and the microwave-assisted green solvent-extracted oil had a lower free fatty acid concentration than the hexane-extracted oil. The refractive index and density of the oils extracted showed no significant solvent effects, while the iodine value, saponification value, and peroxide value showed small differences among the different extraction methods.