Soy isoflavones, as an important class of phytoestrogens, have received much attention for their extensive health benefits. They are mainly found in soybeans and their products, and have various biological activities such as antioxidant, anti-tumor, cholesterol-lowering and cardiovascular protection. However, the content of soybean isoflavones in soybean is relatively low, and the extraction process is complex, so it is particularly important to develop efficient and energy-saving extraction technology. Centrifugal extractor, as an advanced liquid-liquid extraction equipment, plays an important role in the extraction process of soybean isoflavone.

Background and challenge of soybean isoflavone extraction

Soybean isoflavones include free and bound forms, of which free isoflavones (such as genistein, daidzein, etc.) have higher biological activity. However, isoflavones in soy exist mainly in the form of conjugated forms (such as glucosides), which need to be converted to free forms by steps such as hydrolysis. Traditional extraction methods, such as solvent extraction, acid-base hydrolysis and enzymatic hydrolysis, can achieve the extraction of soybean isoflavones to a certain extent, but there are problems such as low efficiency, high energy consumption and environmental pollution. Therefore, the development of an efficient and environmentally friendly soybean isoflavone extraction technology has become a research focus.

The working principle and advantage of centrifugal extractor

The centrifugal extractor uses centrifugal force to accelerate liquid-liquid separation, and mixes two kinds of insoluble liquids (usually plant extracts and organic solvents) through a high-speed rotating drum, so that the solute is fully exchanged between the two phases, and then achieves rapid separation under the action of centrifugal force. Centrifugal extractors have the following significant advantages:

High efficiency extraction: Due to the role of centrifugal force, the two-phase liquid can be fully mixed and dispersed in the drum, which greatly improves the mass transfer efficiency of the solute.

Energy saving: Compared with the traditional stirring extraction method, the centrifugal extractor can significantly reduce solvent consumption and energy waste.

High degree of automation: centrifugal extractors are usually equipped with advanced control systems, which can achieve automated operation, reduce manual intervention, and improve production efficiency.

Environmentally friendly: the centrifugal extractor can achieve closed operation, reduce the emission of harmful substances, and meet the requirements of environmental protection.

Application of centrifugal extractor in extraction of soybean isoflavones

In the extraction process of soybean isoflavones, the centrifugal extractor usually adopts solvent extraction method, combined with acid-base hydrolysis or enzymatic hydrolysis method for pretreatment. Specific steps include:

Pretreatment: The soybean powder or soybean meal is pre-treated, such as degreasing, deproteinization, etc., to reduce the influence of impurities on the extraction process.

Hydrolysis: The conjugated soybean isoflavones are converted to free soybean isoflavones by acid-base hydrolysis or enzymatic hydrolysis. It is necessary to control pH value and temperature for acid-base hydrolysis to avoid the destruction of soybean isoflavone structure. Enzymatic hydrolysis uses specific enzymes (such as beta-glucosidase) for hydrolysis, which is more selective and gentle.

Solvent extraction: The hydrolyzed solution is mixed with organic solvents (such as ethanol, ethyl acetate, etc.), and the liquid liquid extraction is carried out by centrifugal extractor. Under the action of centrifugal force, soybean isoflavones and other active ingredients are extracted into organic solvents.

Purification and drying: The extracted organic solvent is purified, impurities are removed, and high purity soybean isoflavone products are obtained through drying and other steps.

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The centrifugal extractor has shown remarkable advantages of high efficiency, energy saving and high degree of automation in the process of extracting soybean isoflavones. With the continuous progress of science and technology and the increasing market demand, the application prospect of centrifugal extractor in the field of soybean isoflavone and other natural products extraction will be broader. In the future, we can look forward to the application of more innovative technologies, such as supercritical fluid extraction, microwave-assisted extraction, etc., combined with centrifugal extractors, to further improve the extraction efficiency and purity of soybean isoflavones, and provide more powerful support for the in-depth research and wide application of soybean isoflavones. At the same time, it is also necessary to pay attention to the issues of environmental protection and sustainable development, and promote the green and intelligent development of soybean isoflavone extraction technology.