The objective of this study was the effectiveness of using activated earth, activated alumina, and/or chitosan, either separately or in combination, as adsorbents to remove free fatty acids (FFA) and peroxides from unpurified menhaden oil (MO). Thermal and rheological properties of MO were also evaluated. Five different combinations of absorbents were used to purify MO: Processes 1-3 involved purifications of MO by 5% chitosan (wt/wt of oil), 5% activated earth, and 5% activated alumina, respectively, process 4 involved MO purification with a combination of 6.5% chitosan, 3.5% activated earth, and 5% activated alumina, and process 5 involved MO purification process with a combination of adsorbents of 9% chitosan, 1% activated earth, and 5% activated alumina. All the adsorption processes were conducted at 25°C. Purified MO and MO were evaluated for their fatty acid profile, FFA, peroxide value (PV), moisture content (MC), minerals, and color. Triplicate experiments were conducted, and data were statistically analyzed using α = 0.05. Processes 4 and 5 were effective in reducing PV, FFA, and MC in MO. Thermal properties indicated processes 4 and 5 produced purer MO than processes 1-3. All the oil samples became less viscous, and the flow behavior index of MO was close to 1 after the adsorption processes. This study demonstrated that adsorption processes that include chitosan, activated earth, and activated alumina could effectively improve MO quality.
Keywords: activated alumina; activated earth; adsorption process; chitosan; menhaden oil.
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