Rapid Salt‐Assisted Microwave Demulsification of Oil‐Rich Emulsion Obtained by Aqueous Enzymatic Extraction of Peanut Seeds

Abstract Aqueous enzymatic extraction (AEE) is an environmentally friendly edible‐oil‐extraction process that can also provide edible protein. However, the AEE process may form a stable emulsion in most cases, which seriously limits the large‐scale industry applications for producing vegetable oils. In this study, the salt‐assisted microwave radiation demulsification of the oil‐rich emulsion prepared with AEE from peanuts is investigated. The microwave demulsification method is compared with other conventional demulsification methods, including heating, and freezing–thawing. The salt‐assisted microwave demulsification of the emulsions shows a greater free oil yield than conventional heating demulsification. Moreover, the microwave demulsification shows a similar free oil yield in less time than freezing–thawing method. Under the optimal operating conditions of demulsification, the free oil yield can reach 92.3% with CaCl 2 ‐assisted microwave demulsification for only 2 min. In addition, the oxidative properties and the fatty acid compositions of the demulsified peanut oil are investigated. No significant difference in the fatty acid composition is observed among salt‐assisted microwave, freezing–thawing, and heating demulsified oil. The oxidative properties of the salt‐assisted microwave demulsified peanut oil is better than the conventional heating demulsified oil. Thus, salt‐assisted microwave demulsification provides a quick and effective demulsification method to obtain vegetable oils with high quality. Practical Applications : Aqueous enzymatic extraction (AEE) is an environmentally friendly edible‐oil‐extraction process. To solve the problem of stable emulsion formed during AEE process, the salt‐assisted microwave demulsification of the oil‐rich emulsion prepared with AEE is developed with high efficiency (demulsification for 2 min). In addition, the oxidative properties of the microwave demulsified oil is better than the conventional heating demulsified oil.