What steps make up the palm oil refining process?

Four main steps make up the palm oil refining process, which include degumming, deacidification, decolorization and deodorization. This four steps are crucial, directly determining the palm oil's quality, taste and shelf life. If you want clearer understanding of it, let's start the brief introduction below:

The palm oil refining process

Step 1. Degumming: Removing Phospholipids and Impurities

The first step in palm oil refining process is degumming. Crude palm oil contains colloidal impurities such as phospholipids. If not removed, these impurities can cause foaming, precipitation and an unpleasant odor during subsequent heating, affecting the palm oil's shelf life. Degumming effectively separates these impurities, laying a solid foundation for further processing and ensuring the oil's stability. Typically, you can use water degumming or acid degumming. The specific steps are to add a certain amount of water or phosphoric acid to the crude palm oil to hydrate or acidify the phospholipids to form an insoluble colloid, which is then separated by centrifugation.

Step 2. Deacidification (Neutralization): Reducing Free Fatty Acids

The second step in palm oil refining process is deacidification. Crude palm oil typically contains high levels of free fatty acids, which are the primary cause of rancidity and negatively impact taste. Deacidification significantly reduces the acidity, effectively addressing flavor and shelf life issues and ensuring a mellow, stable oil. Chemical neutralization or physical steam distillation are typically used to suppress the increase in free fatty acid content. However, it is important to note that chemical neutralization produces soapstock, which must be removed by centrifugation.

Step 3. Decolorization: Enhancing Clarity and Purity

The third step in palm oil refining process is decolorization. Natural pigments in crude palm oil, such as carotenoids, can affect its appearance and the color of the final product. The decolorization step safely removes these pigments and other trace impurities using specialized adsorbents, such as activated bleaching earth, resulting in a clear, bright-colored and pure oil that meets the demands of high-end markets. In addition, after decolorization, you'll need to filter the spent bleaching earth through a leaf filter.

Step 4. Deodorization: Eliminating Volatile Compounds

The final step in the palm oil refining process is deodorization – a critical step. Through high temperature vacuum steam distillation, all unpleasant odor substances and volatile components in the palm oil can be effectively removed. The final product of this process is refined palm oil with neutral flavor, pure smell and extremely high oxidation stability, which is widely used in various food processing.

These are all the steps involved in the palm oil refining process. If you're planning or upgrading your palm oil refining project, please feel free to contact Henan Glory Company(with branch and overseas warehouse in Nigeria). Our state-of-the-art palm oil refining equipment is equipped with advanced technology and automated control systems to ensure precision, efficiency and sustainability at every stage of refining. From small-scale batch refining to large-scale continuous refining, we can provide tailored solutions to meet your specific needs.