Process technology for refining crude soybean oil – a product from soycake meal production in Ghana

Abstract

Selective optimization of process parameters for refining crude soybean oil was carried out to determine and specify such process parameters as temperature, concentration of reactants, and process duration for adoption in commercial processing. The procedure adopted for the work considered technical and material resources available, local availability of process equipment for commercial production, cost involved, and the target beneficiaries. The aim was to add value to the crude oil to increase incomes for the smallscale producers. The process parameters adopted for transfer included 0.1% v/v 75 % phosphoric acid at 80 ±5 °C, 2 % v/v water at 65 ±5 °C and 30 per cent excess caustic for neutralization. A refined oil yield of 83.3 per cent was recorded. Results of quality assessment of the final laboratory refined oil compared favourably with Ghana Standards Board's specification for edible soybean oil.

Ghana Journal of Science Vol. 44, 2004: 11-18