PALM OIL REFINING

CHEMICAL vs PHYSICAL REFINING

CRUDE OIL

Degumming GUM Degumming

Neutralization SOAP Bleaching

Splitting
Bleaching
Steam Refining
FFA Deodorization
Deodorization

REFINED OIL
 ADVANTAGES OF PHYSICAL REFINING

• Physical refining is economically and environmentally less

challenging
• No soapstock is generated
• Lower refining losses because there is no saponification of oil
and no oil emulsification by soapstock
• But many vegetable oils which are high in NHPs (non
hydratable phosphatides), including soybean and sunflower
seed oil, cannot be acceptably physically refined.
 Refining Process and Condition

Deodorizing

Bleaching
Degumming
BPO is heated to
240 - 265oC
Addition 2 - 2.5% of (vacuum) with 2
CPO is heated to bleaching earth; hours sparging
90-110oC (vacuum); filtration
then added with
H3PO4 0.1 – 0.4%
 PHYSICAL REFINING OF PALM OIL

CPO FUNCTION OF REFINING

• to remove impurities such as
gum/phosphatides,trace metal,
oxidized products, and dirt
(including spent bleaching
• DEGUMMING
earth)
• BLEACHING
• FILTRATION • to remove free fatty acid and
• DEODORIZATION odoriferous volatiles
• FILTRATION • to remove pigment
• To remove contaminants such as
pesticides, light PAH, PCB,
dioxins
RBD-PO PFAD
(Refined, Bleached, (Palm Fatty Acid
Deodorized Palm Oil) Distillate)
PHYSICAL REFINING OF PALM OIL
 DEGUMMING

• NHPs in CPO occur as the salts of magnesium and calcium. It

is necessary to treat the CPO with food grade phosphoric acid
(0.1 – 0.4%) to remove NHPs.
• CPO is heated to 90 - 110oC, add acid solution, and allowed to
react for at least 15 minutes before the gum is removed in the
next stage
• Need to introduce chelating agents following degumming
processes to remove metal compounds from CPO, which
typically contains calcium, potassium, magnesium, aluminum,
iron and copper
• Metal contaminants, especially iron, can darken oil during
deodorization, and even small amounts of iron that do not affect
the oil's color can nevertheless dramatically reduce stability of
refined oil
 BLEACHING

• Use bleaching earth 0.5 – 2.5% to :

– adsorb undesirable impurities (trace metals, moisture,
insoluble matter, part of carotenoids, and other pigments
– reduce the level of oxidation products
– adsorb the phosphatides precipated by the phosphoric acid
– remove any excess phosphoric acid

• Carried out in a stainless steel vessel under vacuum (20 – 25

mm Hg) at about 95-100oC and over half an hour to remove
undesirable impurities and any excess phosphoric acid present
in the oil after degumming
 DEODORIZATION

Deodorization temperature :
• Palm Oil 240 – 265oC
• Palm Kernel Oil 220 – 245oC

Temperature > 265oC are to be avoided :

• To minimize the loss of oil
• To minimize loss of tocopherol/tocotrienols. Oxidized
tocopherols (tocored) has a deleterious effect on color of
refined oils, particularly upon storage (color reversion)
• To reduce possibilities of isomerization which perform
trans fat
• To minimize undesirable thermo-chemical reaction
 TYPICAL DEODORIZATION CONDITIONS

Chemical Refining Physical

USA Europe Refining

Temperature (oC) 250 - 260 230 - 240 230 - 260

Pressure (mbar) 3-4 2-3 2
Sparge steam (%) 0.5 - 2.0 0.5 - 1.0 1-2
Time (min) 20 - 40 40 - 60 60 - 90
Final FFA (%) 0.03 - 0.05 0.03 - 0.05 0.03 - 0.05
 Quality Standard of CPO :
Parameters Malaysia Indonesia
Free fatty acid (FFA), % max 5.0 5.0
Moisture Content, % max - 0.45
Impurities, % max - 0.05
Moisture and Impurities
0.25 0.50
(M&I), % max
Effect of initial FFA content in CPO to FFA changes at storage
temperature 50oC and moisture content 0,08%

Initial FFA content (%) 0.16 2.43 6.44

% increment after 10 days 0.004 0.041 0.097
% increment after 30 days 0.100 0.120 0.300

Effect of initial moisture content in CPO to moisture content changes

at storage temperature 50oC and initial FFA content 2.43%

Moisture content (%) 0.24 0.20 0.15 0.10 0.08

% increment after 10 days 5.10 4.24 3.17 2.14 1.69

% increment after 30 days 16.05 13.17 9.88 6.58 4.94

 DOBI
(Deterioration of Bleachability Index )

• Analysis of FFA and M&I alone is not sufficient to indicate the

quality of CPO. Including DOBI in the analysis can provide a good
indication of the oxidative status of CPO as well as its ease in
processing
• DOBI : ratio of beta-carotene content and secondary oxidized
product
• Bleaching process is more difficult for CPO with DOBI < 2.0, and
easier for CPO with DOBI > 2.3
• Bad CPO from low quality palm fruit has brown pigment, which’s
decomposed of protein and carbohydrate, and very difficult to be
removed during bleaching process
• Bad CPO relates to high impurities content, including Fe and Cu,
which are pro-oxidants and affect to oxidative stability and
bleachability of CPO
 PENENTUAN
DISCRIMINANT
FUNCTION (DF)
 DISCRIMINANT FUNCTION (DF) vs DOBI
Discriminant Function is value of the difference between
crude palm oil and sludge oil

Type of CPO DF DOBI

Sludge <2 <1.8
Poor 2-12 1.8-2.3
Average 12-20 2.3-2.9
Good 20-24 2.9-3.2
Excellent >24 >3.2
 MAIN CAUSES OF LOW (POOR) DOBI

• High percentage of black (unripe) fruit bunches

• Delay in processing, especially during rainy season
• Contamination of CPO with sterilizer condensate
• Contamination of CPO with badly oxidized sludge oil
• Prolonged sterilization of fruit bunches
• Over heating (> 55oC) of CPO in the storage tank
 PALM OIL
FRACTIONATION
 FRAKSINASI MINYAK SAWIT
Pemisahan minyak menjadi 2 fraksi berdasarkan titik beku atau
melting point-nya

x x xx x x x
x x o x ox x o x xo x x

o x o x
o
x o o o o o o
o o
x o x o x o o o o ox o

Tujuan adalah memperoleh olein :

- IV tinggi
- CP (cloud point) rendah
- Cold stability tinggi
 Crystallization

Schematic diagram of Schematic arrangements of

triglyceride in liquid state triglyceride in β-2 and β-3
polymorphs
A model of crystallization of fats
from the liquid state
NUCLEATION AND CRYSTAL GROWTH
Subcell packing for crystal polymorphs
Row 1
Alpha the most loosely packed
Row 2 ALPHA arrangement, least stable, and
lowest melting
Row 3

Beta-prime more stable than

Row 1
alpha. In shortening and
margarines promote plasticity, Row 2 BETA PRIME
smooth texture, and improve
Row 3
creaming properties

Beta the most closely packed Row 1

and highest melting polymorph.
Large granular crystals, that are Row 2 BETA
waxy and grainy, with poor
Row 3
aeration potential
PALM OIL FRACTIONATION
 DRY FRACTIONATION

POLYMORPHISM dan INTERSOLUBILITY

RAPID COOLING INTERMEDIATE COOLING SLOW COOLING

- Unstable form a - Stable form but - Stable form b ‘or b

- Important intersolubility formation of - Firm and uniform
- Bad selectivity crystalline clusters - Low intersolubility
- Intermediate selectivity - GOOD SELECTIVITY
 FRAKSINASI MINYAK SAWIT
Triglyceride Palm Oil Palm Olein
UUU UUU (MP 33-36) (MP 24)
SSS 8 <1

SUU SSU 48 49.5

SUU 78% Palm Olein
dimana
IV: 56 min
SMP: 24 SOS 33 34.5

SSU SSU SSU 6 6.5

SPS 9 9
CUT
SUU 37 41
SSS 22% Palm Stearin
UUU 7 9
IV: 35 max
SSS
SMP: 53 S = Saturated
U = Unsaturated
O = Monounsaturated
P = Polyunsaturated
Palm Oil

Palm Olein IV 56

Palm Olein IV 58

Palm Olein IV 60

Palm Olein IV 64

Palm Stearin

Palm Hard Stearin

HYDROGENATION
 Hydrogenation of Lauric Oils
Refined Palm Refined Palm Refined Palm
Kernel Oil Kernel Olein Kernel Stearin
(RBD-PKO) (RBD-PKOL) (RBD-PKS)

Hydrogenated Hydrogenated
Partially Partially palm Fully
palm Fully
kernel oil kernel oil Fully Hydrogenated
Hydrogenated Hydrogenated Hydrogenated Hydrogenated
HPKO PKS
HPKO
PKO PKOL PKOL
IVPKO
= 18 IV = 18

MATERIALS FOR COCOA BUTTER SUBSTITUTE (CBS)

 RBD-PO RBD-OL RBD-PS RBD-SOL

Hydrogenated Hydrogenated Hydrogenated Hydrogenated

Palm Oil Palm Olein Palm Stearin Super Olein
(HPO) (HPOL) (HPS) (HSOL)

MATERIALS FOR FRYING FAT, BAKERY FAT (shortening,

cream/filling fat, candy fat) AND COCOA BUTTER REPLACER (CBR)