Conclusions
In this study, palmitoleic acid was enriched by combining crystallization and molecular distillation, leading to a high yield of a liquid containing a high proportion of palmitoleic acid. Methanol was found to be the optimum organic solvent to increase palmitoleic acid concentration in solution by crystallization. The optimal crystallization conditions were SPOMFs: methanol ratio of 1:15 (w/v), a crystallization temperature of -20 °C, and incubation time of 12 h. Then, molecular distillation performed at 100 °C can lead to a distillate that contains 54.18% palmitoleic acid in a yield of 56.31%, which was twice as enriched as the raw material. This demonstration of an effective method for obtaining a concentrated palmitoleic acid fraction from a natural source provides basis for industrial scale-up process of this unique fatty acid for the food and pharmaceutical industries.