INTRODUCTION TO TECHNOLOGY While most of vegetable oil can become edible after the refining process, some of them (e.g.: Palm Oil) would require a further additional processing step, named oil fractionation. Oil fractionation - such as esterification, hydrogenation, and interesterification - is classified as fat modification process. Such process is based on the different crystallising physical properties of the main chemical components (stearine and oleine), allowing a partial separation of…

Glycerolysis is a chemical process that converts free fatty acids (FFAs) contained in low-grade feedstocks into glycerides, making them usable for biodiesel production. Glycerolysis is an increasingly essential pretreatment in the economics of biofuel production from low-quality raw materials. To fully understand the importance of glycerolysis, it is necessary to take a step back and remember that the biggest difference in biodiesel production is local legislation. In the European Union,…

The fatty acid hydrogenation is a key process for many industrial applications. Fatty acids are fundamental intermediate products for various type of industries such as pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, chemicals and detergents, through to vertical sectors such as tyre manufacturing, but most of these applications require the hydrogenation of fatty acids (with the notable exception of paint and textile industry). Generally, given the high cost of hydrogen, manufacturers tend to choose palm…

The decision to use waste feedstocks for biodiesel production was driven by a series of socio-political choices that revolutionised the demand and, consequently, the supply of fuel from renewable sources. The market for biofuels, and biodiesel in particular, has exploded in recent years, mainly as a result of the need to lower CO2 emissions, which led to the mandatory blending of biodiesel with fossil diesel. The sudden and necessary demand…

An important step in the fatty acids production process is the distillation, which is required to separate heavy boiling impurities and colouring agents. The main distillation tower may be preceded by one to three fractional distillation towers, in case fatty acids are to be separated into individual components. The fractionation process is based on the different vapour pressures and thus  separates fatty acids of different chain lengths while the split…

The deodorising phase of edible oils, whether continuous or semi-continuous deodorising, is a process that follows the bleaching. This step is of high value, both technically and organoleptically, with a fundamental importance in terms of compliance. Indeed, deodorisation is essential to stabilise edible oils from a chemical point of view, but it is also essential because free fatty acids are removed, so the deodorised oil has bland taste and is…

INTRODUCTION TO TECHNOLOGY Neutralisation of edible oils is a key step in the refining process, aimed at removing free fatty acids (FFA), phospholipids, and other impurities that affect the quality, taste, and shelf life of the oil. This is a crucial activity to obtain a final product that can have optimal characteristics both from an organoleptic point of view and in terms of chemical stability. The process is also commonly…

INTRODUCTION TO TECHNOLOGY Among the different steps of the whole downstream edible oil industry, a prominent role is played by fat splitting (also known as hydrolysis), the process of breaking down triglycerides, present in edible oils and fats, into their basic components: glycerol  and free fatty acids (FFA). This is an essential step in the production of fatty acids for various applications, including the production of soap, green plastics, detergents,…

INTRODUCTION TO TECHNOLOGY Among the various stages of refining of edible oils, special attention must be paid to two intermediate processes: Dry Degumming and Bleaching. The combination of which is part of the physical refining cycle of edible oils, and is essential to remove most of the impurities before moving on to the deodorizing step. Each stage of refining acts on different substances in a different way: the processing changes,…

INTRODUCTION TO TECHNOLOGY Edible oil refining is a set of processes that, starting from crude oil, allow to obtain a high-end product, capable of preserving and keeping present and intact elements useful to the human body, while eliminating impurities and substances harmful to health. Edible oil refining is divided into two types: physical refining and chemical refining. The differentiation is due to the different nature of the crude oils that,…