Effect of chemical degumming process on physicochemical properties of red palm oil

Abstract

Red palm oil is of high nutrition value and sells at high prices, but a proper technique, which is of importance with regard to industrial production, is not available for the Thai producer yet. This study determined the proper processing condition and found that the optimal condition was acid degumming with citric and phosphoric acids at 90°C for 25 min with continuous agitation. Water degumming followed the acid degumming, and it was carried out by adding 5% (w/w) water and cooling the oil down to 35°C before centrifuging to remove the gums. The excess of free fatty acids was removed by using 7% NaOH. The resulting red palm oil had chemical properties within the product standards. The developed technique is simple, and would be beneficial for both small-scale and large-scale producers in Thailand.

Keywords

• acid degumming
• water degumming
• red palm oil
• phosphorus elimination