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Mr Muhammad Kamran
PhD Student
School School of Agricultural & Wine Sciences
Location Charles Sturt University, Wagga Wagga
Phone 02 6933 4212
Fax 02 6933 2420
Email mkamran@csu.edu.au
Project
Evaluation of Short Path Centritherm for the Extraction of Squalene from Australian Olive Oil and Olive Pomace
Summary
Squalene is a high value nutraceutical and its use has steadily increased due to multiple health benefits including cancer protection and promotion of skin health. Squalene is currently extracted from shark liver oil but decreasing population of sharks and need for oil deodorization indicates a need for the development of a less energy-intensive method for the separation and concentration of squalene from other sources. In Australia, a large part of olive oil produced is sold as virgin or extra virgin oil, and limited refining capacity exists.
A large quantity of olive mill waste is produced during the oil extraction in short periods of time. Olive mill wastes represent an important environmental problem due to high biological oxygen demand but at the same time it also contains valuable resources that could be recycled. Olive pomace can be explored for the production of high value squalene form environmentally problematic olive mill waste.
This project is designed to establish the most appropriate method for the recovery of squalene from olive oil, and evaluate both oil and pomace as a source of squalene. Australian olive oils and olive pomace will be evaluated for the yield and quality of squalene by a novel distillation process featuring a cone column and evaporator developed by FT Technologies of Australia. Initial squalene content, squalene recovery and cost of refinement will be evaluated using a variety of Australian olive oil and pomace sources.
Supervisors
Prof Leslie A Weston, Dr. Jane Quinn, Dr. Peter Torley and Research Specialist Jamie Ayton
Funding source
CSU Postgraduate Research Scholarship
Selected Publications
Kamran M, Pasha TN, Mahmud A and Ali Z (2002). Effect of Commercial Enzyme (Natugrain) Supplementation on the Nutritive Value and inclusion Rate of Guar Meal in Broiler Rations. International J. Poult. Sci. 1(6): 167-173.
Mahmud A, Khattak FM, Ali Z, Shafique-ur-Rahman and Kamran M (2009). Effect of Light Restriction on the Performance of Broilers Fed Conventional and Non Conventional Growth Promoters. Sarhad J. Agric. 25(3): 463-467.