Vegetable oil treatment process
AssigneeGreen Lizard Technologies Ltd.
InventorsPeter Goodrich, Eoghain O'Hara, Martin Atkins
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The present invention is directed to a chloropropanol prevention pre-treatment process for crude vegetable oils.
Claims19
A chloropropanol prevention pre-treatment process for crude vegetable oils, the process comprising the steps of:
- (i) contacting a crude vegetable oil with an aqueous DMEA solution such that the amount of DMEA relative to the crude vegetable oil is from 1 wt. % to 10 wt. %, to form a pre-treated vegetable oil and an aqueous phase;
- wherein the aqueous DMEA solution comprises water in an amount from 5 wt. % to 40 wt. % relative to the DMEA;
- and
- (ii) separating the pre-treated vegetable oil from the aqueous phase before further treating the pre-treated vegetable oil.
A process according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the aqueous DMEA solution comprises water in an amount from 15 wt. % to 40 wt. % relative to the DMEA, preferably from 25 wt. % to 35 wt. %, for example about 30 wt. %.
A process according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the step of contacting the crude vegetable oil with the aqueous DMEA solution is conducted at a temperature of less than 80° C., preferably from 25 to 70° C., more preferably from 35 to 65° C., most preferably from 45 to 55° C., for example about 50° C.
A process according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the step of contacting the crude vegetable oil with the aqueous DMEA solution comprises mixing with a shear mixer.
A process according to any of the preceding claims, further comprising the step of removing residual DMEA from the pre-treated vegetable oil.
A process according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the vegetable oil is selected from coconut oil, corn oil, cottonseed oil, groundnut oil, olive oil, palm oil, rapeseed oil, rice bran oil, safflower oil, soybean oil and sunflower oil, or mixtures thereof, preferably wherein the vegetable oil is palm oil or soybean oil.
A process according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the chloropropanol is monochloropropanol, or fatty acid esters thereof;
- preferably wherein the chloropropanol is 3-MCPD or fatty acid esters thereof.
A process according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the chloropropanol is unbound monochloropropanol;
- preferably wherein the chloropropanol is unbound 3-MCPD.
A process according to any of the preceding claims, further comprising the step of further treating the pre-treated vegetable oil.
A process according to any of the preceding claims, further comprising the step of regenerating DMEA from the aqueous phase, preferably by vacuum distillation.
Use of DMEA for preventing the formation of chloropropanol, or fatty acid esters of chloropropanol, in crude vegetable oil by contacting the crude vegetable oil with the DMEA.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.