Assessment of scalable fractionation methodologies to produce concentrated lauric acid from black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens) larvae fat

This article belongs to the Section Role of Insects in Human Society.

In the present study, different methodologies with potential scalability and environmental friendliness, such as winterization, supercritical fluid extraction, and multistage distillation, were evaluated for lauric acid concentration. In all cases, to facilitate fractionation, the transformation of triacylglycerols into free fatty acids or fatty acid ethyl esters was required as a previous step. For the winterization experimental assays, the amount and type of solvent was studied, resulting in a product containing ~65% lauric acid with a recovery of ~81% using a 1:10 oil-to-solvent ratio with hexane. On the other hand, the experimental extraction with supercritical carbon dioxide in a counter current packed column at 55 °C, 115 bar, and 70 g CO2/min, resulted in a product composed of ~80% lauric acid as ethyl ester with a recovery of ~85%. Finally, flash and multistage distillation were analysed using process simulation (Aspen Plus V14), demonstrating that this methodology can achieve 80% recovery with high purity (lauric acid: 96.7%; ethyl laurate: 97.4%), but a high vacuum is required to prevent thermal degradation of the product (lauric acid: 0.2 mbar; ethyl laurate: 1.1 mbar). Overall, the employed methodologies proved highly efficient in concentrating lauric acid, yielding a product of commercial interest and high added value.

[Simple Summary] The interest in insects as the food of the future is growing due to their sustainability and nutritional value. In particular, the fat content of Hermetia illucens larvae stands out for its high lauric acid content, a compound with antimicrobial properties and multifunctional activity. This study explored various fractionation methodologies to concentrate lauric acid and maximize its potential. The versatility and sustainable origin of the resulting products make them highly promising resources.

This research was funded by the Spanish National Plans of Aquaculture of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, project ACUINSECT (Optimization of insect flours as sustainable ingredient for aquaculture feed).

Diego Martín Hernández thanks for his technician position (PTA2021-020161-I), funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and by the European Social Fund Plus.

Peer reviewed