Exergy driven process synthesis for isoflavone recovery from okara

Isoflavones, found in soybeans and other members of the fabaceae family, are considered bioactive components of high economic value. An opportunity would be to separate isoflavones from okara, the by-product of the soymilk and tofu production. Such a process would not only valorise that side-stream...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Energy (Oxford) 2014-09, Vol.74, p.471-483
Main Authors: Jankowiak, Lena, Jonkman, Jochem, Rossier-Miranda, Francisco J., van der Goot, Atze Jan, Boom, Remko M.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Applied sciences
bioethanol production
By-product utilisation
Byproducts
Energy
Ethanol
Ethyl alcohol
Exact sciences and technology
Exergy
Exergy analysis
extraction
Food process design
Isoflavones
Okara
Polyphenols
Process efficiency
process optimization
Recovery
Solvents
Sustainability
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Summary:Isoflavones, found in soybeans and other members of the fabaceae family, are considered bioactive components of high economic value. An opportunity would be to separate isoflavones from okara, the by-product of the soymilk and tofu production. Such a process would not only valorise that side-stream but also, and maybe more importantly, reduce the waste of high quality bioactive compounds. Extraction is an important part during the recovery of isoflavones from okara and was conceptually designed in this work. Due to environmental constraints, ethanol and water were the only solvents considered in this work for extraction of isoflavones. Different process scenarios were established and assessed by solvent footprinting, energy use, and exergy analysis. Simulation of the various process scenarios showed that distillation and the loss of ethanol in the spent okara represent the largest inefficiencies regarding exergy waste and energy usage. Furthermore, even though the use of ethanol leads to a higher recovery, water is in most cases the preferred solvent due to the high exergetic cost of losing some ethanol in the spent okara and during distillation. •We used exergy analysis to assess the efficiency of an isoflavone recovery process.•The high chemical exergy values of resources have a large impact on the analysis.•A first drying step is less detrimental than solvent use/loss and distillation.•Substitution of ethanol by water has the largest positive effect on sustainability.
ISSN:0360-5442
DOI:10.1016/j.energy.2014.07.013