The effect of dose, settling time, shelf life, storage temperature and extractant on Moringa oleifera Lam. protein coagulation efficiency
Ahsan Shah, Arun Arjunan, Georgina Manning, Julia Zakharova, Ioanna Andraulaki, Maryam Batool
Abstract
The study explores green chemistry to purify drinking water using Moringa oleifera (MO) Lam. seeds. This is done by investigating the coagulation efficiency of MO seed extracts for treating moderately turbid water. The research reveals the influence of various factors such as dose, settling time, shelf life, storage temperature, and extractant (water and 1 M NaCl solution) on the coagulation efficiency of MO Lam. protein. The MO seed protein extracts (MOPE) dissolved in tap water, and 1 M NaCl solution was characterised for their performance at ambient temperature and 4 ℃. Within 3 h of MOPE treatment, the turbidity reduced by 90–93 % without significantly altering pH and total dissolved solids (TDS) or electrical conductivity (EC) of the treated water samples. Although the dose rate was found to increase with the storage time, the optimum Moringa oleifera dose was 30–50 mg/l. Overall, the refrigerated MOPE in NaCl offered an extended shelf life, exhibiting good coagulation for up to 7 days compared to 3–4 days for the non-refrigerated variant.