Vol. 7, Issue 5 (2018)

Author(s):
Subba Rao KV, Thejasri V, Kireeti BR, Sandeep GDS and Sivaji G

Abstract:
Watermelon seed oil is a very important component of the watermelon seeds and has many useful functions to human health. In this paper, ultrasound-assisted extraction of crude oil from watermelon seeds was investigated using response surface methodology (RSM). The Box–Behnken experimental design was applied, using n-hexane as a solvent. The effects of some operating parameters such as extraction time (60 to 90 min), temperature (40 to 60 ºC) and solvent to seed ratio (8 to 12 mL g^-1) on the yield of watermelon oil has been investigated. The results indicate that all three parameters showed a significant effect on the oil extraction (p<0.05). The optimum extraction parameters were as follows: extraction time, 80 min; extraction temperature, 55 ºC; and solvent to seed ratio, 11 mL g^-1. Under these conditions, the oil recovery was 40.10 %, which well matches with the predicted value. The results show that the ultrasound-assisted extraction may be an effective method for oil extraction from watermelon seeds.