Preparation and Characterization of Solid Acid Catalysts for the Conversion of Sesamin into Asarinin in Sesame Oil

Byproducts of Sesame Oil Extraction: Composition, Function, and Comprehensive Utilization

Sesame is principally used to generate oil, which is produced by chemical refining or pressing. Sesame meal, as a main byproduct of sesame oil extraction, is usually discarded, causing resource waste and economic loss. Sesame meal is rich in sesame protein and three types of sesame lignans (sesamin, sesamolin, and sesamol). Sesame protein extracted via a physical method and an enzymic method has balanced amino acid composition and is an important protein source, and thus it is often added to animal feed and used as a human dietary supplement. Extracted sesame lignan exhibits multiple biological activities such as antihypertensive, anticancer, and cholesterol-lowering activities, and therefore it is used to improve the oxidative stability of oils. This review summarizes the extraction methods, functional activities, and comprehensive utilization of four active substances (sesame protein, sesamin, sesamolin, and sesamol) in sesame meal with the aim to provide theoretical guidance for the maximum utilization of sesame meal.

The Potential of Food By-Products: Bioprocessing, Bioactive Compounds Extraction and Functional Ingredients Utilization

Achieving sustainability in the agro-food sector can only be possible with the valorization of food industry waste and side streams, products with an extremely high intrinsic value but often discarded because they are unfit for further processing that meets consumer expectations [...].

Kinetic modeling of the sesamin conversion into asarinin in the presence of citric acid loading on Hβ

In the present work, effects of reaction temperature, reactant concentration, catalyst loading, and rotation speed on the kinetics of sesamin conversion in a sesame oil system were studied by using citric acid loading on Hβ zeolite (CA/Hβ) as a catalyst. A kinetic model was built for sesamin conversion. The kinetic model fits correctly the experimental concentration of sesamin and asarinin (RS⁢e⁢s⁢a⁢m⁢i⁢n2 = 0.93 and RA⁢s⁢a⁢r⁢i⁢n⁢i⁢n2 = 0.97). The sesamin conversion is an endothermic reaction (△H_rIso = 3 4.578kJ/mol). The CA/Hβ catalyst could be easily regenerated by calcination, and there was no obvious loss of catalytic activity when reused. Knowledge of the sesamin conversion is of great significance for guiding production and improving the value and nutrition of sesame oil. In a word, this study lays the foundation for the scale-up of the production of asarinin from sesame oil using CA/Hβ as the catalyst.