Comparative of Physico-Chemical Properties of Wheat Germ Oil Extracted with Cold Press and Supercritical CO2 Extraction

In this study, moisture content, free fatty acids, peroxide, iodine value, unsaponifiable matter, saponification value, fatty acid composition and tocopherol contents of wheat germ oil obtained by SC-CO2 extraction and cold press technology were investigated. Moisture, free fatty acid (FFA), peroxide value, iodine value, unsaponifiable matter and saponification value of cold press and supercritical CO2 extraction method oils were established as 0.097% and 13.32, 0.84% and 5.9%, 8.9 meq O2/kg and 15.8, 132 and 128, 6.5 g/kg and 8.04 and 197 and 182mg KOH/g, respectively. Major fatty acids of samples were determined as palmitic, oleic, and linoleic acids. Campesterol and β-stosterols of wheat germ oils obtained by the cold press and supercritical CO2 extraction are the major sterols. The germ oil extracted by both methods contained 24.19% and 23.44 % campesterol and 60.98% and 61.56% β-stosterol, respectively. While germ oil obtained supercritical CO2 extraction contains 50.60% α-tocopherol and 49.39% β-tocopherol, the oil obtained by cold press contained 73.12% α-tocopherol and 26.83% β-tocopherol. Supercritical CO2 extraction is conducted for the process that must be decided whether the pilot or industrial scale. Supercritical CO2 extraction that high oil yield is very high investment costs.