Ultrasound-assisted three phase partitioning for simultaneous extraction of oil, protein and polysaccharide from pumpkin seeds

The aim of this study was to investigate the extraction effects of the simultaneous extraction and separation of pumpkin seed oil (PSO), pumpkin seed protein (PSP) and pumpkin seed polysaccharide (PSPS) using ultrasonic-assisted three phase partitioning (UTPP). The effects of (NH4)2SO4 addition, t-butanol to slurry ratio, pH, sonication power, irradiation time and duty cycle on the extraction yields of PSO, PSP and PSPS were investigated, and the fatty acid profiles and basic physicochemical properties of PSO extracted by the UTPP process were examined. Based on the single-factor tests, the Box-Behnken design and response surface methodology were selected for numerical optimization to obtain the best response values. The optimal extraction yields of PSO, PSP and PSPS were 39.79 %, 14.30 % and 1.97 % at an (NH4)2SO4 addition of 30 g/100 mL, a t-butanol to slurry ratio of 1.0:1.0 (mL:mL), pH 5, an ultrasonic power of 118 W, an irradiation time of 20 min, and a duty cycle of 60 %. The fatty acid composition and physicochemical properties of PSO extracted by UTPP were similar to those obtained by other methods. Therefore, UTPP is an efficient technique for the simultaneous extraction and separation of PSO, PSP and PSPS from pumpkin seeds.