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Recovery of solid waste with high content of saponins from the dry debittering process of quinoa grains, through the application of a spouted bed (LFTS)

The optimum operating conditions for the recovery of saponins have been identified, within the dry debittering process of quinoa grains, by the application of a spouted bed, developed at the CIAA-CIPI.

The experimental trials were carried out with 3 ecotypes of Royal Quinoa: white, yellow and pink, at laboratory scale in a glass spouted bed reactor of 7,5 cm in diameter, which was fed with air by means of a compressor of 400 L/min provided with a filter to remove moisture and oil from the air. The effects of the following variables were evaluated: processing time, nozzle diameter, Real Quinoa ecotype and spouted bed height, in the quality of the solid waste collected (content of saponins) and in the quality of the quinoa grain (final content of saponins and loss of mass).


The most important results of the study are:
• For the White and Yellow Royal Quinoa ecotypes, the optimal time for saponin recovery is 5 minutes, with a nozzle diameter of 1.1 mm and a bed height of 7.5 cm, obtaining saponin concentrations of 4 , 88% and 6.18% respectively.
• For the Pink Royal Quinoa ecotype, the optimal time for saponin recovery is 3 minutes, with a concentration of saponins of 5.75%.
• At these processing times, quinoa grains have suffered a loss of mass between 2.5 - 3%, and the percentage of saponins is still above the levels of acceptance for human consumption, i.e. greater than 0.12%, therefore, the process of removing the saponins from the episperm of the quinoa grains must be continued to the levels required by the consumer.
• In all the tests carried out, the percentages of saponins are higher than the solid waste from the scarification stage of the beneficiary companies that use the conventional method.
• The use of a dispensing type fluidized bed in the beneficiation of ecotypes and varieties of bitter quinoa, allows the total recovery of saponins, obtaining solid waste fractions with high content of saponins, which have a better price in the market. Being the main variables of operation that must be controlled in the process: the processing time, the diameter of the nozzle and the ecotype or variety of quinoa.

Published in Research & Development, No. 11, pp. 20 - 36

Responsible: 
Carla Quiroga Ledezma, PhD.
Email: ccquiroga@upb.edu

Researchers:
Ramiro Escalera Vásquez, PhD
Luis Arteaga Weill, MSc.
Carla Subieta Chinchilla