596. Steam distillation of taints from cream: I. Theoretical considerations and properties of the reference substances, diacetyl and acetoin

Abstract

The rate of removal of a dissolved tainting substance from cream by steam-distillation treatment is dependent in part on the relative volatility (or boiling point) of the pure substance, in part on the temperature of steam distillation, and in part on the influence of water on the vapour pressure of the tainting substance in dilute solution (i.e. on the activity coefficient, γ).The application of Raoult's law and Henry's law to the problem of removal of taints from cream is discussed. For the dilute solutions commonly encountered in cream Henry's law can be expected to apply.The equilibrium relationships for diacetyl and acetoin used as reference substances in investigations on cream-deodorizing equipment have been determined. The equilibrium coefficient for diacetyl in water at concentrations up to 50 p.p.m. in the liquid, as measured by the continuous equilibrium vaporization method, is 39·3. With rise in concentration above 50 p.p.m. in the liquid the coefficient decreases. At 100 p.p.m. it is 32 and at 1000 p.p.m. it is 20. The coefficient for acetoin in water at all concentrations up to 1·2% in the liquid is constant at 1·29. The activity coefficient for diacetyl in concentrations up to 50 p.p.m. was found to be 26·4 and for acetoin at concentrations up to 1·2%, 5·4.For diacetyl the solubility partition coefficient as between butterfat and water rises from 0·47 at 100° F. to 0·74 at 180° F. For acetoin the partition coefficient remains constant at 0·18–0·19 over this range of temperatures. Correspondingly diacetyl is removed equally easily from butterfat and from water, whereas acetoin steam-distils much more readily from butterfat than from water.