Crystallization properties of palm oil by dry fractionation

The crystallization, thermal, physical, chemical and morphological properties of palm oil were investigated using differential scanning calorimetry, polarized microscopy, pulsed nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and gas chromatography (GC). The palm oil was fractionated into various stearin and olein (with iodine values (IV)>63) fractions by means of a dry fractionation process. During the cooling sequence, samples were taken at regular intervals from the crystallizer and analyzed for their iodine values, chemical compositions and physical behaviour. The physical properties of olein and stearin fractions, such as cloud point, slip melting point and solid fat content, were dependent on the crystallization temperatures. The iodine values of the olein and stearin fractions increased as the crystallization temperature decreased and both fractions started to cloud at lower temperatures. The palmitic acid content of stearin and olein fractions was also affected by the crystallization temperatures.