Use Of Edible Oils Research Articles

The Use of Immobilised Enzymes for Lipid and Dairy Processing and Their Waste Products: A Review of Current Progress

The use of edible oils and fats in dairy products is becoming increasingly important in the food industry because of their complementary functional properties. Most of these products are produced using food-grade enzymes as processing aids because processes involving enzymes are considered mild and environmentally friendly for regulatory purposes. The poor stability and recovery of enzymes in their native state limit their performance, and to enhance their activity, stability, and reusability, enzymes are often immobilised—a process that involves attaching them to a solid support. Additionally, immobilisation enables enzymes to selectively target specific substrates or products, making them highly efficient. These features have led to the increased use of immobilised enzymes in dairy and lipid processing and enzymes have been used to produce a broad range of products such as whey protein concentrates and isolates, peptide–lipid conjugates, lipid concentrates, structured lipids, and human milk fat substitutes. Therefore, this article reviews the current progress on different enzyme preparations and their use in lipid and dairy processing. It also summarises opportunities in enzyme-catalysed valorisation of dairy and lipid waste streams with the ultimate goals of sustainable food production and reductions in waste.

Biodiesel production: An updated review of evidence

This review paper highlights the production of biodiesel from different plant based feedstocks via the transesterification process. Biodiesel is a renewable, non-toxic, environment-friendly and an economically feasible option to tackle the depleting fossil fuels and its negative environmental impact. Biodiesel in general possess higher kinematic viscosity and density than conventional diesel. However, because of food security concerns, the use of edible oil in biodiesel production is criticized globally. Non-edible plant oils, waste cooking oils, and edible oil industry byproducts are suggested as effective biodiesel feedstocks because nonedible feedstock does not compete with food from human consumption. High-potential second-generation feedstock for biodiesel production uses waist cooking oil, acid oil, and animal tallow. Non edible crops in India as a feedstock for biodiesel production are yellow oleander oil (Cascabela thevetia), Pongamia (Pongamia pinnata), Jatropha curcas, Mahua (Madhuca longifolia), Candlenut (Aleurites moluccanus), Rubber (Hevea brasiliensis), Soapnut (Sapindus mukorossi), Jojoba (Simmondsia chinensis), Tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum), Neem (Azadirachta indica), Karanja (Millettia pinnata), Castor (Ricinus communis), Polanga (Calophyllum inophyllum L), Cotton (Gossypium), Kusum (Carthamus tinctorius), Yellow oleander (Cascabela thevetia), Sea mango (Cerbera odollam), Tung (Vernicia fordii), and Bottle tree (Brachychiton rupestris). Biodiesel is a sustainable liquid bio-energy resource that might be used to replace diesel fuel. Despite having numerous advantages over conventional diesel, the biodiesel industry is still struggling in India because of various reasons and challenges like availability, high feedstock pricing, operational hurdles, and supply-chain management challenges.

Potential Characterization of Bush Mango Oil for Application in Transformer Insulation

In recent times, the suitability of some oils from edible fruits as a replacement for mineral oils used in transformers has been proven in different literature. The use of edible oils as transformer insulation fluid gives rise to the concept of green insulation in transformers. Research in the use of edible oil in the production of transformer oil has been one of the major researches in high voltage engineering. The existence of paucity of knowledge on the use of bush mango oil as dielectric fluid in transformers led to the idea of this research work. Therefore, this study focuses on the investigation of the suitability of using Irvingia Gabonensis Oil (IGO) for insulation in power transformers. From the series of analyses conducted, it has been established that the Irvingia Gabonensis (Bush Mango) oil is not suitable for transformer insulation oil. This is because the biobased green oil produced presented characteristics that are not suitable to match the standards recommended by the International Electrochemical Commission (IEC) and the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM).

Performance and emissions characteristics of CI engine fueled with blends of diesel and Polanga biodiesel

Globally, people are trying to counter the effects of global warming and climate change, as the burning of fossil fuels is one of the biggest challenges. Biodiesel as an alternative fuel source can help solve these problems. Since the use of edible oil would affect the food industry and leads to the increase in cost of food and fuel, hence the production of biodiesel is more beneficial when non-edible oil is used as a fuel source. Polanga oil is considered a better non-edible oil source because it contains more oil and has the highest heating value among non-edible oils. In this study, a simulation software called Diesel-RK is used to analyze the combustion, performance, and emission characteristics of a single-cylinder four-stroke diesel engine running at variable speed. Tests were conducted on a diesel engine using diesel and five different blends of Polanga biodiesel, namely 5 % (B5), 10 % (B10), 15 % (B15), 20 % (B20), and 25 % (B25), respectively. It was found that the brake-thermal efficiency initially increased up to an engine speed of 1900 rpm, where the maximum values of BTE for B5, B10, B15, B20, and B25 were 33.257 %, 33.322 %, 33.263 %, 33.24 %, and 33.121 %, respectively, while for diesel fuel, it was 33.31 % and then started to decrease on increase in the engine speed. According to the current study, increasing speed has a positive effect on NOx and PM, while BTE decreases and SO2 increases. In case of BSFC, at 1900 rpm B5 has a BSFC of 254.55 g/kWh, which is pretty good when compared to diesel fuel (253.82 g/kWh) and B25 (256.49 g/kWh). Before 1900 rpm, BTE increased slightly while BSFC and SO2 decreased slightly, but after 1900 rpm, BTE started to decrease, and BSFC and SO2 increased rapidly. In our study, we found that Polanga is promising biodiesel for future applications because the performance (B10) is similar to diesel, and the emissions are lower.

SPENT EDIBLE OIL SOAP ANALYSIS ON CHEMICAL PRACTICUM ACTIVITIES IN SMA HARAPAN III DELI SERDANG

Spent edible oil is the result of repeated frying that is mostly done in the fast food industry or in household activities and generally this used cooking oil is disposed of as waste that pollutes the waters in the environment. Spent edible oil is a good ingredient for soap making because its raw material is relatively cheaper than most oils. In a simple laboratory study conducted by students of SMA Harapan III Deli Serdang, soap was made from used cooking oil using alkaline NaOH. The saponification process was carried out using used edible oil soap 0.3 parts by mass ratio of NaOH at a concentration of 30% and 1 part of used edible oil bleached with activated charcoal. The analysis of edible oil soap that has been made by determinate the value of free alkali with acid-base titration method and foam stability test. The results obtained from the determination of the foam test provide foam stability of 83.3% and free alkali content of 0.211%. This soap provides a fairly stable foam stability, but it still feels hot in the hands due to the alkaline NaOH that is used not completely soaped in the washing process. The use of edible oil into soap by students can increase knowledge and can be applied to overcome environmental pollution due to the disposal of edible oil into the environment.

Direct conversion of Camellia japonica seed into biodiesel through non-catalytic transesterification

Biodiesel (BD) (that is alternative to petro-diesel) has been used as carbon neutral fuel as a strategic measure for CO2 mitigation. BD has been produced via acid-/base-catalyzed transesterification of edible oils. Rectifying a conventional/commercialized platform for BD synthesis could offer a new opportunity to produce BD with a more sustainable manner. Indeed, the massive amount of wastewater to neutralize alkaline solution is generated from the conversion process of BD. The use of edible oils in BD production has been also discouraged due to ethical dilemma linked to crop price increase. In these contexts, it could be very desirable to convert valueless/inedible oils into BD through an environmentally benign conversion platform. To this end, non-catalytic transesterification of Camellia japonica seed/oil was mainly studied in this work. As a reference, base-catalyzed transesterification of Camellia japonica oil was also tested. Camellia japonica kernel contained the high content of oil (60.4 wt%). Non-catalytic transesterification of Camellia japonica oil resulted in 96.77 wt% BD yield at 370 °C in 1 min. However, base-catalyzed transesterification of Camellia japonica oil led to 86.13 wt% BD yield at 63 °C for 2 h. Non-catalytic transesterification of Camellia japonica seed was tested to directly convert oil in Camellia japonica seed into BD. The yield of BD from the direct transesterification of Camellia japonica seed was higher (37.14 wt% per dried biomass) than transesterification of Camellia japonica oil (35.42 wt%). Such fact offers that direct conversion of oil-bearing seed into BD could be realized non-catalytically.

Long‐term stability of blends of sesame oil or soybean oil with tuna oil under daily use conditions

AbstractThe commercial feasibility of blending tuna oil into edible oil was studied from the perspective of stability under daily use conditions. A 210‐day long‐term simulation experiment was carried out on tuna oil blended with soybean or sesame oil at room temperature and cold storage (4°C). The bottle caps of all samples were opened manually and left open for 5 min every day to simulate the daily use of edible oil by consumers. The results indicate that cold storage can stabilize the blended oils containing tuna oil, and the peroxide and anisidine values of blended oil can be controlled at the recommended levels for at least 90 days by adding sesame oil. The polyunsaturated fatty acid content of all samples decreased by no more than 10% during the study term. The results of the sensory test indicated that in the daily use situation, the mixture of 20% tuna oil with 80% sesame oil could be stored at 4°C for up to 60 days without unacceptable quality and flavor changes. This study presents suggestions on how to design the packaging volume of the blended oil containing tuna oil, how to store the blended oil, and the term of best used before (once open) in practical commercial applications.

A One-Dimensional U-Net-Based Calibration-Transfer Method for Low-Field Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Signals.

The reconstruction of the statistical analysis model of an instrument is a time-consuming and expensive process. Herein, the feasibility of spectral model calibration-transfer application to the same type of low-field nuclear magnetic resonance (LF-NMR) instrument was investigated using a one-dimensional U-net (1D U-net). Unlike conventional calibration-transfer algorithms such as direct standardization (DS), the 1D U-net network can reduce the error between the master and slave instruments through iterative cycles. The calibration-transfer ability was verified; three experiments that entailed the use of edible oil and copper sulfate (CuSO4) samples were implemented. The analysis of the spectral responses and feature analysis of the edible oil samples revealed that the signal of the slave instrument calibrated using the 1D U-net most resembled the signal of the master instrument, and its relative residual value was reduced to 0.0045. Further analysis of the CuSO4 concentration prediction showed that on the support vector regression (SVR) model constructed using the master instrument, the signal of the slave instrument calibrated by the 1D U-net was more similar to the response of the master instrument, and its root mean square error (RMSE) was only 0.01606 mmol/L. Thus, 1D U-net is a viable candidate for calibration-transfer applications to LF-NMR instruments.

Indian oilseed sector : Need for self-sufficiency in oilseed production

Oil crops are an ideal component in the sustainable production system in Indian agriculture. But, the area under oilseeds has experienced a deceleration in general, due to their relative lower profitability against competing crops like maize, cotton, chickpea, etc. under the prevailing crop growing and marketing situations. Despite being the fifth largest oilseed crop producing country in the world, India is also one of the largest importers of vegetable oils today. The country now imports nearly 60 per cent of the annual consumption of 259.22 million tonnes. However, increasing demand for edible oils necessitated the imports in large quantities leading to a substantial drain on foreign exchange. Edible oil consumption in the country has been consistently rising faster than production due to growth in population, increasing income levels and the emerging dietary changes are driving increasing use of edible oils. An immediate action towards this sector is utmost required or the dependency on import will certainly increase in the days to come due to mushrooming population and increased per capita consumption. It is, therefore, necessary to exploit domestic resources to maximize production to ensure edible oil security for the country.

Combustion and emission study of sandbox seed oil biodiesel performance in a compression ignition (CI) engine

Transportation is a crucial aspect of global development and the utilization of fossil fuels in most combustions systems seems inevitable. This class of fuel has led greatly to worldwide environmental pollution with its attendant effects on human health and climate changes. Biofuels from biomass are sustainable and viable alternatives that can eliminate the problems associated with petroleum fuels and are most compatible with the existing combustion systems. Biodiesel will further ensure positive energy equilibrium through the conservation of natural resources to improve economic stability, environmental safety and a balanced ecosystem. Most previous works make use of edible oils, which can lead to food security and price challenges. With the abundance of non-edible oil sources unexploited, the choice of this study is directed towards producing biodiesel from a non-edible seed with little or no information on its combustion properties. This study extracted Sandbox (Hura crepitans) oil chemically using analytical n-hexane as solvent and subsequently produced biodiesel from the oil via one step-transesterification. The biodiesel was characterized according to global standards for biodiesel (ASTM D6751 and EN 14214) and blended with petrodiesel to give five fuel samples (D100, B10, B20, B30 and B100). These fuels were combusted in a compression ignition (CI) engine test bed to determine its performance and emission characteristics. The results showed that the Sandbox seed produced oil with a good oil yield of 47.77% and the biodiesel produced had a yield of 86.49%, which satisfies the recommended global standards. B10 exhibited the best and highest BTE after D100 at all the torque levels (4 Nm, 6 Nm and 7 Nm) as well as the least and the most desirable emission of CO2 when compared with all the other fuels. The utilization of Sandbox biodiesel in combustion ignition engine was found to be a viable option at enhancing biofuel utilization and reduction of pollutant emissions from the present combustion of fossil fuels.

Performance, combustion and emission characteristics of a DI-CI diesel engine fueled with corn oil methyl ester biodiesel blends

As a result of increased global emission, higher fuel price, and limited natural resources, the need of alternative fuels is highly focused by various researchers. Use of edible oil in internal combustion (IC) engine is finding its place to replace the use of conventional fuel. In the present experimental investigation, corn oil methyl ester (COME) and its blends of biodiesel fueled in diesel engine to assess the combustion, performance, emission characteristics. The maximum blend ratio of corn oil methyl ester is limited to 30% with neat diesel. Results showed that using B10 biodiesel blend significantly improved the performance of engine and the maximum engine efficiency using B10 biodiesel blend is found as 33.98% and it is lower than neat diesel. Similarly, the BSFC of diesel engine using B10 biodiesel blend is increased only by 2%, whereas, using B20 and B30, the brake specific fuel consumption (BSFC) increased to about 4 and 6%, respectively. Results showed that the formation of NOx is higher as the oxygen content available in the fuel is higher and similarly, the CO2 during combustion increased. The other emission such as CO and HC are reduced.

A review on bio-lubricant production from non-edible oil-bearing biomass resources in Iran: Recent progress and perspectives

Lubricants are among the largest drivers of global oil demand in the world. The negative environmental impacts resulting from the entry of direct mineral lubricants necessitates the application of bio-lubricants as an excellent alternative to mineral lubricants. The main resources of bio-lubricants are edible/non-edible oils. The use of edible oils as the primary feedstock for bio-lubricant production in developing countries like Iran is being faced with several controversial challenges including the high dependence of the country to edible oils import, the high price of edible oils, the crisis of food shortage, and the negative impact of edible oils on energy security. The application of non-edible oils as a sustainable bio-lubricant resource plays a critical role in lubricant industries. This review provides an overview on bio-lubricant production with a description of various kinds of non-edible feedstocks. A detailed description of different non-edible resources in Iran (e.i. castor, jatropha, microalgae, waste oil/fat, bitter almond, ailanthus, camelina, and waste fish oil) including the characterization, distribution, climate, and quality analysis are presented. Various kinds of chemical modification methods focused on improving the quality of bio-lubricants have been also discussed. This review delivers a comprehensive overview of bio-lubricant synthesis by discussing applications, recent trends, and challenges in this field. The information provided in this study can be of assistance with the researchers and experts involved in the lubricant industry take an effective step to address the challenges ahead in the cleaner lubricants production by relying on sustainable oily resources. Overall diagram. • Recent advances in bio-lubricants production and applications were discussed. • Potential non-edible oils in Iran were introduced for bio-lubricant production. • Non-edible oils have the potential for practical application in engineering systems. • Waste oil/fats have a promising prospect for bio-lubricant production.

Non-Edible Seeds for the Production of Biodiesel

The global energy demand is increasing day by day. The consumption of the fuel, as well as the demand, is expected to grow rapidly and use of fossil energy is causing harmful impacts on the environment. Biofuels are attractive alternative to petroleum diesel derived from a variety of feedstocks, vegetable oils, animal fats, and waste cooking oil. They are renewable, non-toxic and biodegradable. At present, biodiesel is mainly produced from many edible oils seed. The extensive use of edible oils for production of biodiesel may lead to food crisis. Therefore, production of biodiesel from non-edible oils is a successful method to overcome all the related problems with edible oils.

Semi-continuous production of biodiesel on pilot scale via enzymatic hydroesterification of waste material: Process and economics considerations

Nowadays, the use of edible oils with elevate purity in the biodiesel production represents around 70% of the chain of feedstocks applied in the process by the main producing countries at world level. This occurs due, mainly, to reaction limitations of the traditional alkaline route employed industrially. Bypassing drawbacks of the chemical process, enzymatic technique is an effective alternative for the biodiesel synthesis. In this sense, this paper reports results to semi-continuous production of biodiesel on pilot scale, from waste cooking oil, via hydroesterification mediated by different commercial lipases in liquid formulation: Eversa® Transform and its novel thermostable successor Eversa® Transform 2.0. Data for yields, residual acidity, productivities, biocatalysts performance, kinetics and economic analysis are presented in this comprehensive research. Using the best reaction conditions found (40 °C, 0.7 wt% of Eversa® Transform 2.0, 4.0 wt% of water, methanol to oil molar ratio of 6.3:1 and 8 h at a two-step reaction system), 96.2% of FAME yield was achieved. A pseudo-first order model presented a good fit of the experimental data, where a kApp of 0.373∙h−1 was obtained for the process with the best performance. Moreover, for this process, an economic analysis indicated the feasibility of the system through a positive net return and operating cost of US$ 0.50 kg−1 of biofuel. This information served as foundation to conclude that enzymatic hydroesterification catalyzed by liquid lipases has the necessary tools to be implemented on industrial biodiesel production.

The capacity of major countries in Southeast Asia in meeting biodiesel mandates and pursue higher blends based on available major feedstocks

Major economies in Southeast Asia have been pressing the use of renewable diesel (RD) as an alternative to petroleum diesel. Currently, the major RD produced and consumed in Southeast Asia is biodiesel (BD), produced from edible oils. The use of edible oils produced by Southeast Asian countries is also consumed in various industries. This gives rise to the need to have a quantitative long-term assessment of their potential availability for BD production. In this study, the potential existing major raw material that could be tapped for biodiesel production in Southeast Asia was identified. Future demands for biodiesel and the amount of biodiesel that could potentially be produced were also estimated. These are to provide a practical assessment of the readiness of the Southeast Asian countries in the use of BD. Only Indonesia and Malaysia have surplus oils from oilseeds for BD production. However, if the trade of resources is limited within major countries in Southeast Asia, the blending of BD could be increased up to 50 to 70% in diesel fuels until the year 2040. The minimum biodiesel production potential in Southeast Asia is 36 Mm3 per year to as much as ∼61 to 87 Mm3 by 2040.

Effectiveness of biogenic waste‐derived heterogeneous catalysts and feedstock hybridization techniques in biodiesel production

AbstractBiodiesel has the potential to contribute significantly to the elimination of the present global energy and climate change logjam, but its production and commercialization have been hindered by the diverse nature of the feedstocks used for production. This paper reviews the effectiveness of applying various types of crop and animal waste‐derived catalysts together with innovative feedstock hybridization as an economically viable technique for biodiesel production. Feedstock challenges, availability, and sustainability for large‐scale applications are addressed with a view to bridging the existing gaps. Challenges in the use of edible oils and algae oil sources and development remain, but the technique of feedstock hybridization appears to be very promising, innovative, and cost‐effective for biodiesel production. The present state of biodiesel production could be improved by the application of simple and cost‐effective technologies in the feedstock system. High free fatty acid (FFA) content is the major hurdle to the use of most oils, especially low‐grade/advanced oil feedstocks, in biodiesel production. This could be addressed through technological application of feedstock hybrids and biogenic waste‐derived heterogenous catalysts, and their biochemical modifications. Conventional technology for the large‐scale application of inorganically derived catalysts in biodiesel production with various characteristic differences is presented. Heterogenous catalysts derived from biogenic wastes and their modification could be used to overcome associated problems with the use of inorganic catalysts in biodiesel production. Biogenic waste‐derived heterogenous catalysts are renewable, available, eco‐friendly, and cost‐effective. Technological applications of heterogeneous catalysts derived from biogenic waste are outlined and reviewed, considering various materials and different modification techniques to identify appropriate options for scaling up development. This review also discusses fundamental considerations for the exploitation of feedstock hybrids to optimize biodiesel production and its sustainable development. © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd

Edible Oils Attenuate Button Battery-Induced Injury in Porcine Esophageal Segments.

Objective: The objective of the study is to test whether the use of edible oil might be an early treatment strategy for reducing button battery-induced esophageal injury.Methods: A button battery was inserted into esophageal segments collected from pigs. The esophageal segments were randomly allotted to one of the following six treatments: (1) untreated (nothing injected), (2) lemon juice, (3) orange juice, (4) colza oil, (5) peanut oil, and (6) olive oil. Every hour, the battery discharge and the pH value were measured in the esophageal tissue. After treatment for 6 h, the residual voltage of the battery was measured and the esophageal tissue was processed with H&E staining.Results: In esophageal segments of the untreated group, a large area of the mucous membrane was severely eroded. Partial erosion was observed in esophageal tissues treated with either lemon juice or orange juice. Furthermore, the esophageal tissues were basically intact, had little damage when treated with oils. The highest extra-esophageal discharge voltage was recorded in the untreated group, a medium amount of discharge voltage was recorded in the lemon juice and orange juice groups, and the lowest discharge voltage was recorded in all the edible oils groups.Conclusions: Edible oils immersed the battery, reduced the surrounding electrolysis, and thus attenuated battery discharge. As a result, treatment with edible oils attenuated the pH alkalization and tissue damage in button battery injury of pig esophageal segments. These results indicate that edible oils might be used in the treatment of button battery ingestion.

Evaluation of physicochemical and tribological properties of chaulmoogra (Hydnocarpus wightianus) oil as green lubricant base stock

Due to environmental concerns, natural oils are increasingly being used as an alternative to mineral oil-based products such as lubricants. However, the use of edible oil for industrial application adversely affects their availability for edible purposes. Chaulmoogra oil is a non-edible oil obtained from the seeds of chaulmoogra tree that grows in wastelands. The fatty acid constituents of vegetable oils determine their properties. Presence of long-chain cyclic fatty acids like chaulmoogric acid, hydnocarpic acid and gorlic acid distinguishes chaulmoogra oil from other oils. Research on how cyclic fatty acids influence the properties of vegetable oils and affect their efficacy as base oils for lubricants is scarce in the literature. This paper presents a preliminary evaluation of the physicochemical, viscometric, oxidative and tribological properties of chaulmoogra oil as a lubricant base stock. Gas chromatography–mass spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy methods were used for structure elucidation. The viscometric analysis was conducted by using Brookfield viscometer. The tribological performance was evaluated by a four-ball apparatus as per ASTM D4172-94. Thermal and oxidative stabilities were evaluated by thermogravimetric/differential thermal analysis in nitrogen and oxygen environments. Pour point was assessed by ASTM D97 method and differential scanning calorimetry. Chaulmoogra oil has a viscosity of 9.2 cSt at 100 ℃ and a viscosity index of 166. Though the coefficient of friction was better than a commercial lubricant of similar viscosity range (SAE 20W40), the wear scar diameter was comparatively higher. Addition of antiwear additive zinc dialkyl dithiophosphate showed considerable improvement in the wear performance of chaulmoogra oil. Chaulmoogra oil showed a high pour point value around 15 ℃ which needs to be improved by appropriate pour point depressants. Environmental advantage, coupled with non-edible nature of chaulmoogra oil, makes it an excellent base stock for lubricants.

Review on Biodiesel Production and Emission Characteristic of Non-Edible Vegetable Oil

Bio-diesel has become more popular in recent timesas of its low after emissions and due to its extraction from renewable resources. Transesterification process is used to extract the bio-diesel from oil either by edible oil or by non-edible oil. The use of biodiesel has created a constructive effect in solving issues of decrement in petroleum stocks. Biodiesel can be extracted with the use of edible &non-edible vegetable oils. However, use of edible oils can threaten the food storage, so non-edible oil, which is also acknowledged as second-generation feedstock, can be used as another option in extraction of biodiesel from oil. This paper has explained in detailed some of the categories of non-edible vegetables oils have higher quality of biodiesel. In this review, an endeavor has done on bio-diesel production of various non-edible oil and its influence on internal combustion engines performance and emissions characteristics.

Decreasing the use of edible oils in China using WeChat and theories of behavior change: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

BackgroundThe consumption of edible oils in China has increased rapidly in recent years, and the total amount of edible-oil intake in the country has ranked first in the world. The choice and intake of edible oils, as a source of fats, are important factors that affect people’s health. Many chronic diseases are closely associated with high-calorie and saturated-fat intake. The influence of traditional concepts that promote the use of edible oils among women, particularly housewives, plays a key role in a household’s diet and nutrition because the diet-related knowledge, attitude and behaviour of housewives are dominant factors in planning and preparing their family’s meals. WeChat, which was developed by Tencent, is a multipurpose messaging, social media and mobile payment application (app) in China. Described by Forbes as one of the world’s most powerful apps, WeChat provides considerable convenience in disseminating knowledge. Accordingly, this study aims to design a pilot intervention to decrease the use of edible oils in Chinese households. The intervention, which is based on theories of behaviour change, will be implemented through WeChat.Design and methodsThe study design is a randomised controlled trial that adopts knowledge, attitude and practice, social cognitive and stages of change theories as theoretical models. A total of 800 housewives between the ages of 25 and 45 years will be recruited on WeChat and from the communities in four areas (including rural and urban) in Chongqing, China. A self-administered questionnaire will be used to collect information regarding age, educational level, occupation, family members, edible-oil intake habits, knowledge of edible oils and WeChat usage habits. A total of 200 participants will be selected and randomly assigned to two equal-sized groups: group A (the intervention group) and group B (the control group). Group A will receive health education regarding edible oils for four consecutive weeks, whereas group B will be treated as the blank control. Each participant will complete a battery of knowledge, attitude and behaviour tests immediately, 3 months and 6 months after the intervention. In addition, weight, moisture rate, fat rate, visceral fat level and body mass index will be calculated using a multifunctional weighing scale, namely, Tanita BC-601 (Japan). The study is currently in the design stage.DiscussionThis study aims to increase knowledge and awareness of the appropriate use of edible oils, thereby encouraging participants to change behaviour by decreasing the intake of unhealthy levels of edible oils. It will be the first intervention to investigate the use of edible oils in China through WeChat. We predict that receiving health education regarding edible oils through WeChat will substantially improve the knowledge and attitude of the respondents. The members of the intervention group will have increased awareness and will be willing to decrease their use of edible oils to remain healthy. Results of this study may provide scientific evidence for the effect of health education through WeChat on edible oil-intake behaviour, thereby offering a comprehensive intervention to decrease the use of edible oils and promote a healthy lifestyle.Trial registrationChinese Clinical Trial Registry (primary registry in the World Health Organisation registry network): ChiCTR-IOR-17013472. Registered on 21 November 2017.