Quality Improvement of Crude Palm Oil via in situ Washing with Treated Aerobic Liquor: Process Development and Product Evaluation

Food quality and safety are of paramount importance to the palm oil industry. The aim of this research was to develop a sustainable and in situ method to improve the quality of crude palm oil (CPO) using an aerobic-liquor generated in a palm oil mill. Compared to non-treated CPO, the aerobic-liquor treatment could produce CPO with higher hydrolytic and oxidative stability, as well as lower contaminant content. After refining, the palm oil produced has an improved quality and it performed better in deep-frying. The method was subsequently scaled-up and was found to be feasible for industry application.