The aqueous enzymatic method was developed to extract oil from corn germ without hexane or other organic solvents. When using corn germ samples from wet-milling operations, yields ranging from 80% to 90% corn oil were obtained using commercial cellulose, whereas in the absence of enzymes, oil yields were only between 27% and 37%.
What is corn germ oil?
Most of the commercial corn oil is extracted from the germ and this is commonly known as ¡°corn germ oil.¡± The germ from wet-milling operations (see Chapter 18) is recovered with up to 50% oil, which must be quickly processed because of its low microbiological and chemical stability.
How much germ is found in a corn kernel?
However, the large industrial dry- and wet-milling operations (see Chapters 15 and 18Chapter 15Chapter 18) generate large amounts of germ which is commonly channeled to the oil crushing or animal feedstock industries. The germ represents between 9% and 11% of the kernel weight and contains about 80% of the lipids found in the whole kernel.
How do you heat corn germ?
If the corn germ has high-oil content, as in the case of the one obtained by wet-milling, the operation will require the use of pressure and heat to disrupt cell walls and break the oil containing spherosomes. In this situation, the germ is heated at 120°C prior to mechanical compression by the expeller.