Effects of the extraction conditions on the yield and composition of rice bran oil extracted with ethanol—A response surface approach

Rice bran oil was obtained from rice bran by solvent extraction using ethanol. The influence of process variables, solvent hydration (0–24% of water, on mass basis), temperature (60–90 °C), solvent-to-rice bran mass ratio (2.5:1 to 4.5:1) and stirrer speed (100–250 rpm) were analysed using the response surface methodology.The extraction yield was highly affected by the solvent water content, and it varied from 8.56 to 20.05 g of oil/100 g of fresh rice bran (or 42.7–99.9% of the total oil available) depending on the experimental conditions. It was observed that oryzanol and tocols behave in different ways during the extraction process. A larger amount of tocols is extracted from the solid matrix in relation to γ-oryzanol. It was possible to obtain values from 123 to 271 mg of tocols/kg of fresh rice bran and 1527 to 4164 mg of oryzanol/kg of fresh rice bran, indicating that it is feasible to obtain enriched oil when this renewable solvent is used. No differences in the chemical composition of the extracted oils were observed when compared to the data cited in the literature.

Research highlights
► Replacement of hexane by a biorenewable solvent.
► Extraction of rice bran oil using ethanol.
► Effects of the extraction conditions on the yield and extractability of minor compounds.
► Oryzanol and tocols behave in different ways during extraction process.