Study on the combined enhancement of soybean oil degumming efficiency, oil quality, and functional properties of degumming-derived phospholipids through ultrasound-assisted enzymatic degumming.

As one of the most widely consumed vegetable oils, soybean oil relies on efficient degumming to upgrade oil quality and achieve high-value utilization of by-products, which supports sustainable and economically viable refining. Therefore, this study investigated ultrasound-assisted enzymatic degumming and established a dual evaluation framework integrating oil quality and phospholipid (PL) functionality. Under optimized conditions, ultrasound-enhanced degumming with phospholipase A1 (PLA1, ultrasound: 200 W, 50 °C, 2 h) and with Purifine® 3G (ultrasound: 200 W, 40 °C, 1 h) each achieved > 98.6 % degumming efficiency, representing an increase of up to 4.55 percentage points compared with conventional enzymatic degumming, and reduced residual phosphorus in degummed oil to below 1.6 mg/kg. Degumming reduced the acid value and iodine value but slightly increased the peroxide value, indicating a slight oxidative risk. The process improved oil clarity, preserved the native fatty acid profile and the majority of vitamin E, and modulated the flavor profile by weakening the grassy and raw odors of crude oil. The PLs recovered from degumming were qualitatively and quantitatively analyzed, with key components identified including phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylinositol, phosphatidic acid, and lysophospholipids. Compared with Purifine® 3G-derived PLs, PLA1-derived PLs more effectively reduced the oil-water interfacial tension, and the resulting oil-in-water emulsions exhibited a smaller average droplet size and higher emulsion stability. Notably, ultrasound enhanced degumming efficiency but altered PL emulsifying performance, revealing a trade-off between oil purification and PL functionality. These findings provide new insights into balancing oil purification efficiency and recovered PL functionality during industrial edible oil refining.