ARS | Publication request: DECOLORIZATION OF MEADOWFOAM ESTOLIDES USING SODIUM BOROHYDRIDE

Submitted to: Journal of the American Oil Chemists' Society
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: December 8, 1998
Publication Date: N/A

Interpretive Summary: The New Crops Unit has invented estolides, a new product from meadowfoam which is being grown in Oregon. But the estolides were too dark colored even though they worked really well in some products. Therefore, we set out to remove the color from the meadowfoam estolides. Dark colored ingredients often are seen in a negative manner and receive little acceptance regardless of efficacy or purity. A new method was discovered to reduce the color to almost half, making it acceptable to industry. The process was developed and optimized by the New Crops Unit. This new low colored meadowfoam estolide is seen to have very good commercial potential. Therefore, the color removal process was an important step on the road to success for meadowfoam as a large scale commercial crop. Meadowfoam growers will benefit since this creates new marketability for their crop.

Technical Abstract: The color for meadowfoam fatty acid estolides decreased from Gardner 12 to Gardner 7 by treating meadowfoam estolides with sodium borohydride. The optimum temperature for decolorization was found to be 80C at 1% sodium borohydride and 12 hours reaction time. Neither hydrogen peroxide nor high pressure hydrogen reduced the gardner color of meadowfoam estolides significantly.