Optimization of Deacidification of Mixtures of Sunflower Oil and Oleic Acid in a Continuous Process

Mixtures of refined sunflower seed oil and oleic acid were deacidified using nitrogen as stripping gas in a pilot-plant scale continuous deodorizer. To optimize the process, two different levels were tested for the classical operating parameters of oil temperature, nitrogen flow rates, oil mass flow...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of the American Oil Chemists' Society 2007-05, Vol.84 (5), p.479-487
Main Authors: Prieto González, M. M, Bada, J. C, León, M, Graciani, E
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Biological and medical sciences
Continuous refining
deacidification
Distillates
distillation
Edible oil distillates
Efficiency
Fat industries
Fatty acids
Flow rates
Food industries
Free fatty acids
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Gas flow
Gases
Heating
Industrial plants
Mass flow rate
Mixtures
Molecular weight
Nitrogen
Oils & fats
Oleic acid
Optimization
Physical refining
R&D
Research & development
Stainless steel
Statistical analysis
Sunflower oil
Temperature distribution
Temperature gradients
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Summary:Mixtures of refined sunflower seed oil and oleic acid were deacidified using nitrogen as stripping gas in a pilot-plant scale continuous deodorizer. To optimize the process, two different levels were tested for the classical operating parameters of oil temperature, nitrogen flow rates, oil mass flow rates and initial free fatty acid contents. In addition, two heating procedures were tested, including one using separate electrical heating of the oil and gas distillates to maintain the same temperature in both parts of the deodorizer, and another in which only the oil was heated and controlled, resulting in a temperature difference between the oil and the gas distillates. The statistical technique of blocking with paired comparisons was used to analyze the final free fatty acid content, rate of free fatty acid loss with respect to the processed oil flow rate, free fatty acid content in the distillates recovered by condensation, and efficiency. The results showed that the oil temperature and maintaining the same temperature in the oil and the gas distillates produced the most relevant effects, having a positive effect on most of the responses.
ISSN:0003-021X
1558-9331
DOI:10.1007/s11746-007-1057-1