Deacidification of high-acid rice bran oil by reesterification with monoglyceride

Autocatalytic esterification of free fatty acids (FFA) in rice bran oil (RB O) containing high FFA (9.5 to 35.0% w/w) was examined at a high temperatur e (210 degrees C) and under low pressure (10 mm Hg). The study was conducte d to determine the effectiveness of monoglyceride in esterifying the FFA of RBO. The study showed that monoglycerides can reduce the FFA level of degu mmed, dewaxed, and bleached RBO to an acceptable level (0.5 +/- 0.10 to 3.5 +/- 0.19% w/w) depending on the FFA content of the crude oil. This allows RBO to be alkali refined, bleached, and deodorized or simply deodorized aft er monoglyceride treatment to obtain a good quality oil. The color of the r efined oil is dependent upon the color of the crude oil used.