SUNFLOWERSEED EXTRACTION WITH A NEW TYPE OF EXTRACTOR.

In this study extraction of sunflowerseeds is performed using a new extractor system which eliminates various operations, such as dehulling and prepressing, of the conventional systems. This new extraction system uses a moving bed of seeds which is continuously washed with fresh solvent sprayed from mobile spray nozzles. To confirm the performance of the Guilbaran extractor for extraction of sunflowerseeds, the effects of extraction temperature, residence time, solvent/meal ratio and particle size on the oil yield are investigated. The experiments performed showed that the optimum extraction conditions are 50-53 C solvent temperature, 40-45 C extractor temperature, 90 min extraction time, 2. 7 kg/hr solvent flow rate and 0. 9-1. 0 mm particle size. The resultant miscella in this system was more dilute than some multicell extractors, thus requiring more evaporator costs.