Enzymatic degumming

A method for treating vegetable oils and/or animal fats, comprising the following steps:

• (i) adjusting the vegetable oils and/or animal fats to a temperature within a range from about 20 to about 90° C.;
• (ii) pre-treating the vegetable oils and/or animal fats with acid for at least 1 minute;
• (iii) adjusting a pH of the pretreated vegetable oils and/or animals fats with lye to a pH within a range from about 4 to about 8 at a temperature of at least 20° C. to obtain an aqueous mixture;
• (iv) adding enzymes to the aqueous mixture to form lysophospholipids and free fatty acids from phospholipids in the aqueous mixture;
• (v) reducing a temperature of the aqueous mixture comprising the lysophospholipids and the free fatty acids obtained in step (iv) to a crystallization temperature of high melting glycerides and conducting centrifugation;
• (vi) separating the aqueous mixture into an aqueous phase and a treated phase comprising treated vegetable oils and/or treated animal fats;
• and
• (vii) optionally treating the treated phase with hot water or with silica adsorption.