Enzymatic Demulsification of the Oil‐Rich Emulsion Obtained by Aqueous Extraction of Peanut Seeds

<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title><jats:p>This study details the enzymatic destabilization of the emulsion formed during aqueous extraction of peanut seeds and the quality of the resulting oil. The emulsion was exposed to enzymatic treatment and pH adjustment. The experimental results suggest that the alkaline endopeptidase Mifong<jats:sup>®</jats:sup>2709 was the most effective demulsifier, while Phospholipase A2 and pH adjustment had little effect on emulsion stability. The demulsifying conditions of Mifong<jats:sup>®</jats:sup>2709 were optimized by response surface methodology (RSM). The optimal conditions which produced a free oil yield of ~94 % were: 1:1 water‐to‐emulsion ratio, enzyme concentration of 1,600 IU/g of emulsion and 70 min hydrolysis time at 50 °C. We found that these conditions resulted in a positive relationship (<jats:italic>R</jats:italic><jats:sup>2</jats:sup> = 0.9671) between free oil yield and the degree of protein hydrolysis. Increased protease treatment produced a smaller number of oil droplets, but the size of these droplets increased significantly. When compared to demulsified oil products obtained by using thermal treatment, the oil obtained by Mifong<jats:sup>®</jats:sup>2709 exhibited lower acid and peroxide values, contained more tocopherols and had a longer induction time as determined in the Rancimat test. The high yield and quality of peanut oil obtained by enzymatic treatment makes enzyme demulsification a promising approach to recovering free oil in aqueous extractions of peanuts.</jats:p>