R. T. Milrier, Northern Regional Research Laboratory, newly president of the American Oil Chemists9 Society, and II. P. Southern Regional Research Laboratory, local chairman of
elected Newton, AOCS
Awards Made by Oil Chemists A. S T A F F
JL HE 3Sth annual meeting of the American Oil Chemi.sts' Society, held in New O r l e a n s . M a y 20 through 22, paid tribute to two of its past presidents, Felix Paquin and John J . Vollertsen, for their long-time contributions to t h e oil and soap industry by unanimously electing them to honorary life membership in t h e society. Among other awards m a d e at t h e meet ing was that of the American Oil Chem ists' Society, whoso cup went t o Russell Haire of the Planters M a n u f a c t u r i n g Co. for p e r m a n e n t possession. H a v i n g twice before a t t a i n e d the highest a v e r a g e among collaborators in the d e t e r m i n a t i o n of both oil a n d nitrogen in oilseed meal, h e became eligible for permanent possession of the cup when he again had the best average, 99.972%, in t h e competition j u s t closed. Certificates for highest efficiency were awarded to collaborators in o t h e r deter minations as follows: moisture and oil determination, G. Iv. W i t m e r , Battle Laboratories, and nitrogen determination, jointly to Russell Haire and T. L·. Rettger of t h e Buckeye Cotton Oil Co. T h e Symposium on Analytical Methods reflected t h e ever-present concern over proper sampling and testing. T h e Seed and Meal Analysis Cominittee in its re port had already recommended eight new methods a n d modification of t h r e e existing methods, feeling t h a t most of t h e methods now employed were in t h e n a t u r e of a compromise. R. T . Doughtie, J r . , of t h e Γ. S. D e p a r t m e n t of Agriculture reiterated the great importance of proper sampling and outlined sampling p r o c e d u r e s for vari ous oilseeds a n d t h e problems ordinarily encountered. T. H . H o p p e r of Southern Regional Research L a b o r a t o r y a n d chair m a n of t h e symposium, expressed the opinion t h a t a good p a r t of t h e difficulty 1662
HI:PORT
when referee samples fail to cheek m a y lie in improper sampling at the start. T h e hydrazides of the normal fatty acid series from valeric to lauric and of palmitic and stearic acids have been prepared a n d their mixed melting points determined. W. G. Bickford of the Southern Regional Research Laboratory stated t h a t t h e preparation of these hydrazides from t h e corresponding esters is easy and t h a t they appear to be satisfactory derivatives for identifying fatty acids of moderate molec ular weight, t h u s signifying further a d vance in the association between chemical and physical properties of compounds. T h e first public comment on the fourth (δ) form of tocopherol was made b y J. C. Baxter of Distillation Products, I n c . , who discussed the accurate determination of tocopherol content during the commercial processing of soybean oil. The conclusion was reached t h a t the Emmerie a n d Engel procedure, modified to make allowance for
the possible presence of α-tocopherol, is t h e most accurate method now available. J. P. Awapara'presented a method developed a t t h e University of Southern California for v i t a m i n A determination in the nonsaponifiable fraction of foods, consisting in t h e quantitative destruction of vitamin A b y means of active floridin X X F . Answering the pressing interest in a method for determining nitrogen in ex tremely small quantities in oil, R. T . Milner of the U S DA Northern Regional Research Laboratory gave the first pres entation of a method which is based on the acid hydrolysis of a large sample of oil, thus concentrating t h e nitrogenous compounds in a n aqueous phase. T h e water phase is separated a n d then digested and distilled with ordinary Kjeldahl equipment. A n u m b e r of the general papers were concerned with the extraction and refining of various types of oils. W. C. Ault of tKe E a s t e r n Regional Research Laboratory reported favorable results on investiga tions of t h e perennial gourd as an oil source. Richard Baldwin of Corn Prod ucts Refining Co., reporting on the effects of deodorization on the stability of vege table oils, outlined a steam-distillation process a n d showed t h a t stability in creases rapidly during the initial part of the deodorization, this increase apparently being caused by heat destruction of peroxidants rather t h a n distillation of vola tile m a t t e r . This paper was very favor ably commented on since it was coordi nated with purely empirical results obtained commercially over a period of years. Kettle
Batch
vs. Clayton
Process
Proposing to show that variations in re fining procedure for various types of oils are related to the a m o u n t s and types of phosphatides present in t h e oil and to the fact that oil and caustic are usually mixed as liquids, Ralph H. Fash of F o r t Worth compared refining procedures in the kettle batch process a n d the Clayton a n d mistmixing continuous processes. M r . Fash developed a theory, based on positively charged soap particles and negatively charged colloidal and color particles, which
Beloiv. Felix Pacini η « first president of AOCS, and S. O. Sorensen, retir ing president. Riglil. G. R. Ingram, Alabama Polytechnic, demonstrates ef fect of gossypol on storage quality of eggs
CHEMICAL
A N D
ENGINEERING
NEWS
h e said would satisfactorily explain all h i t h e r t o unexplainable results obtained in t h e refining of vegetable oils. In com parison of processes, the speaker definitely preferred the mist-mixing method, stating t h a t the total time for mixing and the h e a t i n g time to obtain an oil-soapstock m i x t u r e ready for centrifuging is about one seventieth of that required for the C l a y t o n process. Other advantages listed for mist-mixing were ability to refine s t a r t i n g at almost any reasonable tem p e r a t u r e with good color oil resulting, and compatibility with the use of sodium sili cate, resulting in reduced refining loss. N e i t h e r of these can be carried out in the C l a y t o n process. L e a h Castillon of the Southern Regional R e s e a r c h Laboratory proposed that ab s o r p t i o n spectra of crude and refined cot tonseed oils be used as a basis for predict ing t h e rate a t which the bleach color will develop during storage of the seed and c r u d e oils. G. S. Fisher, also of the laboratory, reported the preparation of nor-conidendrin, a new antioxidant for fats a n d oils. Solvent
Above. Past president's dinner: Seated, TV. R. Stryker, R. H. Fash, J. J. Vollertsen, Felix Paquin, G. W. Agee, M. L. Sheely, H. C. Dormitzer, H. S. Mitchell, Lamar Kishlar; Standing, R. ft. King, C. S. Markley, R. T. Milner, A. A. Robinson, S. O. Sorensen, W. D. Hutchins, J. P. Harris. Beloiv. Symposium on Analytical Methods: R. T. Doughtie, Jr., USDA; J. G. Baxter, Distillation Products, Inc.: W. G. Bickford, Southern Regional Research Laboratory; Vernon L. Frampton, University of Texas: T. H. Hopper, Southern Regional Research Laboratory; J. Atvapara, University of Southern California
Extraction
T w o rather thorough discussions of solvent extraction of oils were of consider able interest. P. B. V. Reddi of the G o v e r n m e n t of Madras, India, found t h a t a good rice bran with a relatively low free f a t t y acid content may be obtained from freshly milled rice by extraction with hexane, t h a t extraction below 10° C. gives an oil which represents 9 0 % of the total lipides in the bran and contains no wax, t h a t ordinary caustic refining methods give a good oil which behaves like cotton seed oils of comparative free fatty acid content, and t h a t although rice b r a n oil o b t a i n e d by this process has a greenish cast due to chlorophyll, this can be re/ \ B. V. Reddi, of the Government of Madras, India, speaks on extraction of rice bran oil
V O L U M E
25,
NO.
23
»
»
moved b y treatment with acidic a c t i v a t e d clay. I n connection with emphasis o n freedom from fatty acids one of the listen ers remarked t h a t in the future it m a y b e more desirable t h a n not to have t h e free fatty acids, in view of the work being done in the preparation of nitriles and other fatty acid derivatives. Starting with t h e idea that t h e ill effects of gossypol in cottonseed meats might better be alleviated by some other m e t h o d t h a n thermal decomposition, W. D. Harris of Texas Α&λΙ College developed a solvent extraction method using 9 1 % isopropyl alcohol, in which a n extremely desirable feature is the elimination of ' 'fines 7 ' usually produced in extraction processes. Extractions were carried on in a pilot plant in which the meats were carried b y a screw conveyor counter current t o t h e solvent kept at about 160° F. Gossypol in t h e meal was reduced to about 0 . 0 1 % . T h e use of hexane-isopropyl alcohol mix tures, while resulting in lower s t e a m costs, a d d s fire hazard and is less efficient in »
» JUNE
9,
1947
gossypol removal. Liquid-liquid extrac tions are also shown for separating oil and fatty acid fractions from t h e miscella. Feeding tests showed the meal to be mark edly superior to commercial meal produced by the hydraulic process. This is not entirely due to removal of gossypol but may be traced to physical changes in the protein which might occur as a result of the hydraulic pressing and to t h e fact that isopropyl alcohol removes some of the long-chain unsaturated fatty acids which are tightly bound to the protein material and possibly deleterious in feeds. Final result of election ballots from the 1,435 membership which the society now boasts gave R. T . Milner of the Northern Regional Research Laboratory the presi dency for 1947-4S a n d made H . L. Roschen of Swift and Co. secretary and J. J . Vollertsen treasurer. Vice presidents are C. P . Long of Procter and Gamble, E . M. James and L. B. Parsons of Lever Bros., and V. C. Mehlenbacher of Swift and Co. 1663
