Chemistry of Oil, Fats,

and Wax Processing

 Oils, Fats and Waxes

• Oils, fats and waxes are naturally

occurring esters of long straight-chain
carboxylic acid.

Ester is any of the class of organic

compounds that react with water to
produce alcohols and organic or
inorganic acids
Ester

Ester is a chemical compound

derived from an acid in which at
least one –OH group is replaced
by an –O–alkyl group.
Oils, Fats and Waxes

• They belong to the “Saponifiable” group of lipids.

Lipids are biologically produced materials which are relatively

insoluble in water but soluble in organic solvents (benzene,
chloroform, acetone, ether, etc).

• The saponifiable lipids contain an ester group and react with hot
sodium hydroxide solution undergoing hydrolysis (saponification).
Saponification

• Ester is heated with aqueous alkali (sodium hydroxide) to form an

alcohol and the sodium salt of the acid corresponding to the ester.
The sodium salt formed is called a soap.
 LIPIDS (HOT NaOH SOLUTION)

No Reaction Hydrolysis Reaction

(Unsaponifiable) (Saponifiable)
No Ester Group Contains Ester Group

Includes Steroids, Includes Oils, Fats, Waxes,

Prostaglandins, Leukotrienes Phospholipids
Oil and Fats

• Oil is defined as “any of a group of natural esters of glycerol

(glycerine) and various fatty acids, which are liquid at room
temperature.”

• Fats are defined as “any of a group of natural esters of glycerol

and various fatty acids, which are solid at room temperature and
main constituents are animal and vegetable fat.”

• Both classes of compounds are triglycerides.

Glycerine and Fatty acid

• Glycerine is a trihydric alcohol which forms triesters with the

fatty acids. (Ex. moisturizer)
• Fatty acids comprise a straight carbon backbone (usually with an
even number of carbon atoms) and a carboxyl group at one end.
Triglycerides

• Triglycerides are a type of fat (lipid) found in your blood.

• It is an ester formed from glycerol and three fatty acid groups.
Difference between Oil and Fats

The only discernible difference between

fats and oils is their state at ambient
temperature.
Wax

• The word “wax” is derived from the old English “weax” which
means honeycomb of the bee-hive.
• Wax is the water resistant protective coatings of leaves, fruits,
trees and also in animals, algae, fungi, and bacteria.
• Wax is hydrophobic in nature produced by combining fatty acids
and alcohol.
Wax

• Waxes are monoesters of long-chain fatty acids, usually containing

24 to 28 carbon atoms, with long-chain fatty primary alcohols.
• Waxes can be classified according to their origins as naturally
occurring or synthetic.
Processing and Refining

• The general methods employed to produce edible oils suitable for human
consumption consist of:
(a) seed preparation
(b) extraction
(c) degumming
(d) neutralization
(e) bleaching
(f) deodorization
(g) hydrogenation and sometimes winterization.
Seed Preparation

• The oils seeds are carefully cleaned of these materials using

magnets, screens, and aspirator systems.

• The cleaned seeds are dried to remove moisture. Next, the dried
oil-seeds are usually decorticated to remove the hull that
surrounds the oilseed meat before being further processed.
Extraction

• The purpose of oil extraction is two fold.

• Firstly is to extract the maximum amount of good quality oils and

then to get maximum value from the residual press cake or meal.

• The following three methods, with varying degree of mechanical

simplicity are used: (1) rendering (2) pressing with mechanical
presses and (3) extracting with a volatile solvent.
Degumming

• It is issued to separate the gums, phospholipids and any insoluble

in oil when hydrated.

Three types of Degumming Process

1. Water Degumming
2. Acid Degumming
3. Enzymatic Degumming
Neutralization

• Neutralization is the process of removing free fatty acids from

crude oils by using caustic soda or lime. After addition of alkaline
solutions, soap is formed in the oil and removed by washing with
hot water. Then, the oil is dried in order to remove the remaining
water in the neutralized oil.
Bleaching

• Bleaching of fats and oils is a process where by the clay

adsorbent is mixed intimately with the oil under specified
conditions to remove unwanted color bodies and other
contaminants.

• Bleaching earth is used in the refining of vegetable oils and

animal fats for human consumption. The absorbent capacity of the
bleaching earth removes the impurities and unwanted matter, such
as colouring substances (carotenoids), soaps, proteins and others,
found in oils and fats.
Deodorization

• Deodorization is a high-temperature, high-vacuum

steam-distillation process to remove volatile, odoriferous
materials present in edible fats and oils.
Hydrogenation

• Hydrogenation is a process that uses hydrogen gas to change a

liquid vegetable oil into a hard spread / margarine. This process
stabilizes the oil and prevents spoilage from oxidation.