EFFECT OF REPEATED HEATING ON THERMAL-BEHAVIOR OF CRUDE PALM OIL

Thermal behavior of crude palm oil (CPO) is important to determine the optimal fractionation process and product yield. In this study, the e ffects of repeated heating on thermal behavior of CPO were examined by differential scanning calorimetry. CPO was heated at 80 degrees C for 5 min, and hearing was repeated five times to simulate the common con ditions experienced by an oil before reaching the refinery. The result revealed that the thermal behavior of CPO changed after heating. The change, however, occurred only in the behavior of the high-melting ste arin peak but not in the low-melting olein peak. Overheating split the stearin peak at 17.30 degrees C to two peaks at 18.88 and 17.30 degre es C and formed a new peak at 11.28 degrees C. Apparently, a new subst ance has been synthesized.