Vegetable Oil Refining
Vegetable Oils Refining by
oil refinery plant is necessary for vegetable oils & fats or animal oils & fats so they can be used for cooking and frying foods. Chemically speaking, oils are Tri-Glycerides or "Fatty-Acid Glycerin Esters" (FAGE). One Glycerin molecule combines with three Fatty-Acid molecules to form one FAGE. Oils are a blend of different types of FAGEs. The Oils can be differentiated on the basis of the length of carbon chain in the Fatty Acids and the number and location of double bonds in the carbon chains of the Fatty Acids. Greater the number of double bonds between two carbon atoms, the greater is the extent of "unsaturated" fatty-acids in the fatty-acid profile of the oils. "Unsaturated" oils and fats are considered more desirable than "saturated" oils and fats from health point of view.
What are Vegetable Oils & Fats?
Vegetable Oils are obtained from a variety of seeds, grains and nuts. Most common types of oil-bearing seeds and nuts are Canola, Castor, Coconut, Corn (Maize), Cottonseed, Mustard, Olive, Palm, Palm-Kernel, Peanut (Groundnut), Rapeseed, Safflower, Soybean, and Sunflower. Other major specialty oils are obtained from Almond, Avocado, Cashew, Grapeseed, Jatropha, Pecan, Pine, Shea, and Walnut. There are literally hundreds of other seeds and nuts that are available regionally around the world.
What are Animal Oils and Fats?
Animal Oils are obtained from a variety of animals. Most common types of oils and fats include Chicken-Fat (Chicken), Fish-Oil (Fish), Lard (Pigs), and Tallow (Cows). Each one of these oils and fats comes in edible and non-edible categories and multiple grades within each category.
Why is Vegetable Oil Refined?
Vegetable and Animal Oils and Fats have impurities such as Moisture, Solids (Insolubles), Gums (Lecithins), Free-Fatty Acids (FFA), Waxes, and Compounds of Sodium, Potassium, Magnesium, Calcium, and other metals. These impurities must be removed to improve the functionality of the oils. Other characteristics of oils (such as Color, odor, and taste) are also considered impurities by modern consumers. These impurities are removed in a series of steps such as degumming (to remove gums), neutralizing (to remove FFA), bleaching (to remove color), deodorizing (to remove odor and taste), and dewaxing or winterization (to remove waxes).
