Palm oil is refined through a series of processes designed to remove impurities, color, and odor, transforming crude palm oil into a pure, edible product.
In order to get the pure and refined oil, there are three main processes in chemical palm oil refinery plant and chemical palm kernel oil refinery plant: degumming process, bleaching process and deodourising process. These steps are crucial for producing high-quality palm oil suitable for various food and industrial applications.
The Main Refining Processes
The refining of palm oil primarily involves chemical or physical methods, or a combination of both. The reference specifically highlights the chemical refining processes.
Here are the key steps mentioned in the reference:
- Degumming Process: This initial step removes gums and phospholipids from the crude oil. Gums can cause undesirable cloudiness and interfere with subsequent refining steps. Typically, water or acid treatments are used to hydrate these compounds, making them easy to separate.
- Bleaching Process: Following degumming, the oil is bleached. This process involves using bleaching earth (a type of clay) to absorb pigments, residual gums, and other impurities that affect the oil's color and stability. The bleaching earth, with the absorbed impurities, is then filtered out.
- Deodourising Process: The final major step is deodorization. This process removes volatile compounds that cause undesirable odors and flavors in the oil. High-temperature steam distillation under vacuum is commonly used to strip these compounds from the oil, resulting in a neutral taste and smell.
Overview of Chemical Refining Steps
Here is a simple overview of the three core chemical refining steps mentioned:
| Process | Primary Goal | Removes |
|---|---|---|
| Degumming | Remove hydratable gums and phospholipids | Gums, phospholipids |
| Bleaching | Remove color pigments and residual impurities | Color pigments, residual gums, trace metals |
| Deodourising | Remove odor and flavor compounds | Volatile compounds, free fatty acids |
These processes work together to ensure that the refined palm oil meets quality standards for purity, appearance, taste, and shelf life.
