Edible palm oil refining technology

Oil refining is based on the difference between crude oil and physical/chemical impurities. It is about separating the oil and impurity by professional technical, means, for the purpose of improving the edible quality of the oil, the storage stability and the safety process.

  The process of refining is divided into chemical refining and physical refining. Depending on the raw materials and production capacity, we may use physical and chemical refining design in batch, continuous. Refined oil can reach different levels (1-4), based on Chinese regulations.

In terme of crude palm oil refinery, it’s necessary to understand the following points:

(1)     Palm oil can only be refined at level 1, because it needs to be deodorized.

(2)     In addition to the first-level refining equipment, a fractionation* part is also required.

* Fractionation is a special treatment for palm pulp oil, that is: the temperature of palm oil is cooled to about 24°C and it takes time to keep it. The high melting point components will crystallize out, and they can be "fractionated" into three different types after a second filtration.

(3)     These three products are :

u  Palm stearin with a melting point higher than 40°C.

u  Soft palm oil with a melting point of about 30°C

u  Liquid palm oil with a melting point of less than 20°C.

The yields of these three products are roughly 20%, 30%, and 50%, respectively. The quality of the liquid palm oil can reach the standard of high-grade cooking oil.

Crude palm oil refining process:

Crude palm oil → Dephosphorization → Deacidification → Dehydration →Decolorization → Deodorization →Fraction → Refined oil.