Processing palm fruit to obtain palm oil involves several key steps, typically including sterilization, threshing, digesting, pressing, and filtration. These steps extract the crude red palm oil from the fruit.
Here's a breakdown of the palm oil extraction process:
1. Sterilization:
- The harvested fresh fruit bunches (FFB) are subjected to steam sterilization.
- Purpose: This process deactivates enzymes that cause deterioration of the oil, loosens the fruit from the bunch, and softens the fruit for subsequent processing.
2. Threshing:
- Sterilized FFB is fed into a thresher, which separates the palm fruits from the empty fruit bunch (EFB).
- Process: Threshing involves a rotating drum or other mechanical means to detach the fruits.
3. Digestion:
- The threshed fruits are heated and mashed in a digester.
- Purpose: This process ruptures the oil-bearing cells, making the oil easier to extract during pressing. This involves a steam-heated vessel with rotating agitators.
4. Pressing:
- The digested fruit mash is then pressed to extract the crude palm oil.
- Methods: This can be achieved through mechanical pressing (screw press is common) or hydraulic pressing. The press separates the oil from the fiber and nut.
5. Clarification and Filtration:
- The crude palm oil obtained from pressing contains impurities and water.
- Process: The oil undergoes clarification, often involving settling, screening, and centrifuging to remove solid impurities and water. Filtration further refines the oil, removing smaller particles.
Summary of Steps in a Table:
| Step | Description | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Sterilization | Steaming fresh fruit bunches (FFB) | Deactivates enzymes, loosens fruit from bunch, softens fruit. |
| Threshing | Separating fruit from the empty fruit bunch (EFB) | Isolates the palm fruits for further processing. |
| Digestion | Heating and mashing the fruit | Ruptures oil-bearing cells to facilitate oil extraction. |
| Pressing | Extracting oil from the digested fruit mash | Separates crude palm oil from fiber and nut. |
| Clarification & Filtration | Removing impurities and water from the crude oil | Produces cleaner crude palm oil suitable for further refining or direct use (depending on the intended application). |
These five steps outline the essential process for extracting crude red palm oil from palm fruits. Subsequent refining processes are often employed to produce different grades and types of palm oil for various applications.
