Bleaching of sunflower oils and the impact of bleaching earth

Abstract: Refining edible oils involves a bleaching stage utilizing an absorbent clay mineral referred to as a bleaching earth. Bleaching earths used in the refining process have a significant effect on the final quality of the oil. The present study highlights the effects of bleaching on the final quality of sunflower oils. In addition, an investigation of the impact of bleaching earth acidity will be detailed. Oil attributes investigated include oil color, chlorophyll level, free fatty acid (FFA) level, peroxide value, and p-anisidine value. Results of this study correlates oil attributes with bleaching earth acidity and processing conditions.