Methods for treatment of edible oils

A method for deodorizing an edible oil selected from the group consisting of edible vegetable oils and edible animal fats and mixtures thereof comprising the steps of deoxygenating the oil to provide a deoxygenated oil, blending the oil with a hydrogenation catalyst, heating the deoxygenated oil to a temperature in the range of from about 100.degree. F. to about 375.degree. F., contacting the oil and catalyst blend with hydrogen to subject the oil to hydrogen reducing conditions at a partial pressure of hydrogen of about 1 atmosphere or less without substantially reducing the unsaturated fatty triglycerides contact of the oil such that the hydrogen reduction condition is 1.3 or less, continuously conducting the heated deoxygenated oil through a nitrogen contacting zone having a solid surface to volume ratio of at least about 30 square feet of surface area per cubic foot of nitrogen contacting zone volume and continuously introducing substantially oxygen-free nitrogen having less than one part by weight per million of oxygen in a countercurrent manner through the heated oil in the nitrogen contacting zone that is not under vacuum, for a time period of at least about 5 minutes, at an oil to gas weight to weight ratio in the range of from about 1.2 to about 4.5, and cooling the oil which has been conducted through the nitrogen contacting zone under oxygen excluding conditions to provide a deodorized vegetable oil.