Effect of Extraction Method on the Yield and Quality of Mullet Roe Oil

Abstract

AbstractStriped mullet (Mugil cephalus) roe is used for the production of high nutritional and added‐value delicacies. Its lipid fraction is rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) and bioactive compounds. This study examines scalable oil extraction methods for mullet roe oil extraction. Namely, solvent extraction (SE) using ethanol in two different temperatures, supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) using CO2‐ethanol mixture (SFE‐E) in two different temperatures, expeller oil press (EP) extraction, expeller oil press combined with ethanol extraction (EP‐SE) and wet reduction (WR) are examined. The methods are evaluated with regard to the oil yield and recovery, the oil oxidation and the composition in fatty acids, and polar compounds and unsaponifiable matter. EP‐SE and SE provide the highest oil recovery for tested extraction temperatures (76% and 65% respectively), followed by SFE‐E (46%) and EP (36%). Extracted oils present high PUFA content (28.5–33.9%). The type of extraction process and the process variables affect oil oxidation as well as the concentration of polar compounds and unsaponifiable matter. In terms of oxidation levels, 85% of the extracted oil samples were within the limits set by the Codex Alimentarius Commission. The potential of the examined methods for industrial mullet roe oil production is discussed.Practical applications: Oil rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids was extracted from stripped mullet roe. The work proposes several scalable extraction methods using mild conditions which could be applied to obtain edible and high nutritional value mullet roe oil with high recovery reaching up to 76%. The same methods could be employed also for mullet roe by‐products. The obtained results improve the knowledge regarding the potential of roe valorization for oil extraction as well as the effect of the extraction method on the oil yield, main composition features and the quality characteristics of oil extracted by mullet roe. This research could offer new opportunities for the food industry for fish roe valorization for high nutritional quality oil production.