Ultrasonic Assisted Extraction (UAE) of Moringa oleifera Seed Oil: Kinetic Study

This study aims to investigate Moringa oleifera seed oil extraction using indirect ultrasonication or known as ultrasonic assisted extraction (UAE). The process was conducted at power of 176kW and ultrasonic frequency of 40 kHz. Usage of highly toxic and carcinogen solvent was avoided in this study by using ethyl acetate as replacement. The influence of extraction temperature, liquid to solid (L/S) ratio and time were looked at. Experimental data reveals that the maximum Moringa oleifera seed oil extraction (38.1%) was obtained at conditions; 30°C, L/S 1:20 after 40 mins of extraction. The study was followed by fitting the experimental data using three kinetics empirical models; Power law model, Parabolic diffusion model and Naik model to identify the best fit data. It was found that, Power law model fitted well to the extraction data with R2 value of 0.9919 hence, adequate to describe the extraction process of oil from Moringa oleifera seeds.