Optimization of Deodorization Parameters Using Liquid–Liquid Extraction from Edible Oil for High Antioxidants: Taguchi Optimization Approach Technique

The presence of phenolics and secondary metabolites in essential oils confers robust antimicrobial and antioxidant properties, which are attributed to their ability to mitigate the drawbacks associated with synthetic antioxidants, including cancer and gastrointestinal tract issues. This has led to the emergence of essential oils as natural alternatives in various industries. This study aims to determine the optimum settings for deodorizing essential oils with minimum loss of antioxidant activity after deodorization. This study focuses on optimizing deodorized parameters using the Taguchi Optimization Approach Technique (TOAT) and analysis of variance (ANOVA). In the deodorization process, deodorizing time, deodorizing temperature, amount of ethanol, and amount of solvent were selected as manipulated process factors, and antioxidant activity, represented by the percentage difference of percentage inhibition of DPPH before and after the deodorization process, and intensity of sensory defect were selected as dependent responses. Experimental runs were conducted based on L9 Taguchi’s orthogonal array design. The optimum deodorizing conditions were 70℃, 10 min, and 45 ml of ethanol in 60 ml of deodorizing solvent. The ANOVA showed that deodorizing time and amount of ethanol significantly impacted deodorizing efficiency regarding antioxidant activity (54.47% and 43.28%) and sensory evaluation (67.73% and 21.89%).