Comparative analysis of solvent extraction of rice bran oil from various sources

Abstract

This study investigated oil extraction from rice bran a by-product of rice gotten from different sources (Afikpo, Abakaliki, and Emene). The oil was extracted from different particle sizes (150 µm, 300 µm, and 420 µm) of the rice bran using three different solvents namely chloroform, petroleum ether, and n-hexane at constant time of 120 minutes via soxhlet extractor. The physiochemical properties of the extracted oil were boiling point, the saponification values and refractive index were 77 <sup>o</sup>C, 185.130, and 1.334, respectively. Also the acid value, surface tension, iodine value, and relative density were found to 15.040 g, 6.966×10<sup>2 </sup>N/M, 99.480, and 0.779, respectively. The obtained result based on source revealed that the maximum oil yield of 35.05 g was achieved from Abakaliki rice bran using chloroform solvent and particle size of 420 mm, whereas Emene and Afikpo gave 32.62 g and 14.18 g of oil, respectively from same solvent and particle size. Again, the highest volume of oil obtained in terms of solvent used were chloroform, petroleum ether, and n-hexane, in descending order. The physicochemical properties investigated, showed that the extracted rice bran oil (RBO) from the above three sources in Nigeria confirms RBO to be of good quality and can be utilized in many food industries after refining in form of additives/or industrial purposes as well as in generation of energy.