Solubilization Behavior of Phorbol Esters from Jatropha Oil in Surfactant Micellar Solutions

Phorbol esters (PEs) are important toxic compounds found in Jatropha curcas oil and pressed seeds. These compounds are tumor promoters; thus, their removal prior to further utilization of the pressed seed is important. This work aimed to investigate the solubilization behavior of PEs and Jatropha oil in nonionic [effect of the ethylene oxide number (EON), carbon-chain length and temperature] and anionic (NaCl addition) surfactant systems. The results reveal that an increase in the EON of the nonionic surfactant molecules, rather than an increase in the carbon-chain length, enhances PE solubilization. The hydrophile-lipophile balance (HLB) value was correlated with PE solubilization for nonionic surfactant solutions. The solubilization of PEs decreased slightly with increasing temperature, in contrast to solubilization of the oil. Moreover, the mole fraction of PE solubilized in the micelle decreased with increasing electrolyte concentration in anionic surfactant solutions. The solubilization behavior of PEs in both nonionic and anionic solutions indicates that PE acts more like a polar compound than a nonpolar compound. In addition, the PEs in nonionic micelles are likely located in the palisade region (i.e., between the head group and the first few carbon atoms of the tail), whereas those in anionic micelles are likely near the outer core of the head group. This finding suggests that a nonionic surfactant with a higher EON has a greater potential to extract PE from Jatropha seeds. If an anionic surfactant is combined as co-surfactant, a small amount of electrolyte should be added to increase PE solubilization.