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.