Degumming,dewaxing and refining

Degumming, dewaxing and refining are aimed at removing certain fat-soluble impurities. The different operations can be done separately or in various combinations depending on, e.g., the type of feedstock and the desired refining result. State-of-the-art of water degumming and chemical (alkali) refining are discussed with special emphasis on quality and yield of products and byproducts. Dewaxing, which is of special interest for some oils such as sunflower oil, maize oil and ricebran oil, can be performed either by a filtration process or by centrifugal separation in connection with water degumming or alkali refining.