Carotenoids concentration of palm oil using membrane technology

Typically, crude palm oil contains 500–700 mg/kg of carotenoids and 800 mg/kg of tocopherols. The major carotenoids of palm oil are α- and β-carotenes, which constitute more than 80% of the total carotenoids in palm oil. Membrane technology is being examined as an alternative to conventional oils refining due to low energy consumption, ambient temperature operation, no addition of chemicals, and retention of nutrients and other desirable components. The present study exploited the concentration of vitamins and pigments (specifically carotenoids) from crude palm oil using membrane technology. With a flat sheet polymeric membrane (NP10), the red palm ethyl ester flux was 7.5 L m−2 h−1, and the rejection of β-carotene was 75% at the pressure of 2.5 MPa and temperature of 40°C. The results of this study showed that the separation by membranes is effective in the recovery of carotenoids from red palm oil, presenting a high potential regarding the use for industrial application in the near future.