Effect of screw pressing temperature on apricot (Prunus armeniaca L.) kernels oil quality properties and apricot kernels protein isolate functional properties

This study evaluated the effects of screw pressing temperature (40 °C–200 °C) on the yields, physicochemical properties, oxidation stabilities, and antioxidant activities of apricot kernels oil (AO). Additionally, this study comparatively analyzed the functional properties of different apricot kernels protein isolates (APIs). The oil yield ranged from 30.06% to 49.07% with AO-200 showing the highest yield. Compared with cold pressing, high-temperature pressing significantly increased the trace components (such as total phenols, tocopherols, and phytosterols), oxidation stabilities, and antioxidant activities of AOs. High-temperature pressing also increased the functional properties of API. Multivariate analysis revealed that spiral pressing at 120 °C may be an optimal strategy for obtaining high-quality oil and protein isolate from apricot kernels. These findings provide a theoretical basis for the extraction and application of AO and API.