No abstract

Supercritical fluid extraction (SCFE) of cholesterol from whole milk powder (WMP) was investigated in this study. The combined effects of temperature (40-80°C) and pressure (150-250 bar) on the efficacy of cholesterol extraction (mg 100 g À1 ), modifications in the fat content (FC) (%) and solubility index (SI) (%) of WMP were studied and optimised by the application of response surface methodology (RSM). Variations in the free fatty acids (FFAs) (mg oleic acid per 100 g of milk fat) and lightness value (L*) were also investigated after SCFE process. About 55.8% reduction in cholesterol was achieved at the optimised condition of 68°C, 207 bar with 40 min static time and 2 h dynamic time at flow rate of 6 L min À1 . Extraction at the optimised conditions maximised the yield of cholesterol while retaining the FC, SI, FFA and L* at moderate limits of 23.7%, 85.1%, 7.7 mg per 100 g milk fat and 95.4, respectively.

No abstract

This study demonstrated the feasibility of ethanol-modified SCFE of cholesterol from WMP with negligible changes in its physicochemical properties. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry.