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ARS Home » Southeast Area » New Orleans, Louisiana » Southern Regional Research Center » Commodity Utilization Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #297791
Title: Acidic solvent extraction of gossypol from cottonseed meal

Author
item Pelitire, Scott
item Dowd, Michael
item Cheng, Huai

Submitted to: Animal Feed Science and Technology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/8/2014
Publication Date: 9/1/2014
Publication URL: http://handle.nal.usda.gov/10113/59559
Citation: Pelitire, S.M., Dowd, M.K., Cheng, H.N. 2014. Acidic solvent extraction of gossypol from cottonseed meal. Animal Feed Science and Technology. 195:120-128.

Interpretive Summary: To help develop additional markets for cottonseed products, experiments were conducted to study the possibility of extracting gossypol, an anti-nutritive compound, from the meals with solvents. Acid was added during these extractions to help free gossypol that was bound mostly to the meal’s protein component. Most of the gossypol could be removed by the treatments. Additionally the process tended to increase the meal’s protein content because some carbohydrate components were also extracted. The results should be of interest to cottonseed processors and feed researchers.

Technical Abstract: In order to expand the use of cottonseed meal in animal feeding, extraction of the meal gossypol was studied with acetic acetone- and ethanol-based solutions. Phosphoric acid was added to hydrolyze and release gossypol bound within the meal. Both solvent systems were effective at reducing gossypol levels to 5–10% of the initial meal level. Gossypol extraction occurred much faster in the ethanol-based solutions than it did in the acetone-based solutions, which appeared to occur because the higher temperature of refluxed ethanol accelerated the rate of hydrolysis of the bound gossypol fraction. The extracted meals tended to retain phosphorus, in some form. However, most of this could be removed by conducting a water wash of the extracted material. Water washing also removed additional hydrophilic components and reduced product yields and corresponding increased the meal’s protein level. Other acids were also effective at reducing meal gossypol levels.