Inhibition of Free Fatty Acids generation in Crude Palm Oil during storage by using UV-C Light treatment

Abstract

During the lengthy storage of crude palm oil (CPO), free fatty acid (FFA) concentration generated in the oil tends to increase which will affect the quality of CPO as the result of lipase enzymatic degradation of triglycerides. Currently, the conventional thermal processes in CPO storage tanks still applied to reduce the FFA formation. However, the thermal method is not very effective in reducing FFA for prolonged heat exposed due to deteriorate the CPO quality and high energy consuming. The alternative UV-C light technique gives some advantages compare with thermal treatment i.e less energy consumption, simple method, cheaper investment and low-cost operation. This study is aimed to evaluate the effects of UV-C light on inhibiting FFA generation in CPO during storage. The evaluation of UV-C light effect on the inhibition of FFA generation was conducted by irradiating CPO samples with various UV-C light exposure time. The FFA level of CPO samples was analyzed by using sodium hydroxide solution before and after treatment. The results show that UV-C light has the ability to deactivate lipase enzyme and consequently inhibit FFA generation in CPO.