New approaches in deacidification of edible oils--a review

In the fats and oils industry, deacidification of oils is important not only for consumer acceptance, but also because it has the maximum economic impact on production. Chemical, physical, and miscella deacidification methods have been used in the industry. There are several drawbacks associated with these conventional deacidification processes. Some new approaches that may be tried out--as alternatives to current industrial practices--are biological deacidification, reesterification, solvent extraction, supercritical fluid extraction and membrane technology. These new approaches--independently, or in combination with current technology--may be useful to overcome major drawbacks. Besides being eco-friendly, they could also lead to savings in energy and reduction in oil losses. Some of these approaches could very well replace the existing technology in the years to come.