Microwave pretreatment: A clean and dry method for palm oil production

The present study shows that microwave pretreatment coupled with solvent extraction is a clean and dry process for the production of crude palm oil (CPO). The results indicate that palm fruits microwave heated for 3 min achieved oil yield comparable to the conventional and commercial palm oil milling process with an average of 20%. Fatty acid composition (FAC) of the CPO produced shows an increment in lauric acid (C12:0) as the duration of microwave exposure increases. Due to the absence of wet-heat treatment or sterilization process, the resultant palm oil also exhibits desirable and very low free fatty acid (FFA) (0.26%) and moisture content (0.05%). The current approach has also provided surprisingly high vitamin E and carotenes content. The highest concentration of vitamin E (2345 ppm) and carotene content (1585 ppm) was recorded for palm fruits subjected to microwave for 2 min. It shows that under the investigated conditions in the present study, the quality of CPO produced using microwave treatment coupled with hexane extraction possesses superior qualities compared to the conventional palm oil milling process.

► Clean and dry process for the production of crude palm oil.
► Desirable and very low free fatty acid (FFA) (0.26%) and moisture content (0.05%).
► High vitamin E and carotenes content.