3.3. Compare efficiency with hexane extraction
Palm kernel oil extraction by hexane also was carried out using
the same ground seed and same load of seeds to compare the efficiency
to our optimum systems; grain size was 35–65 mesh, 30 min
of contact time and 1 g of palm kernel loading. The extraction experimentswere
done using a reflux Soxlet method. Fig. 5 compares the
extraction efficiency of palm kernel oil using hexane and our surfactant
systems: System A and System B. The results showed that the
efficiencies of oil extraction from both the microemulsion-based of
System A and of System B were statistically the same as the hexane
extraction. In addition to extraction yield, in order to induce
the microemulsion-based extraction to replace hexane extraction,
the extracted oil quality was examined to evaluate whether it was
similar to the one obtained from hexane extraction, as discussed in
the next section.