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Title: Production of liquid edible oil from palm oil or similar oils
Claims: I claim: 1. A process of producing an improved edible liquid oil from an oil selected from amongst natural and semiprocessed vegetable and animal oils and fats and mixtures thereof, and comprising saturated and unsaturated fatty acids moieties in a relative molar ratio of about 1:1 where at least 90% of the saturated fatty acid moieties contain not more than 16 carbon atom molecules, which process comprises the steps of: a. reacting a portion of said oil with at least one unsaturated fatty acid ester of a (C.sub.1 -C.sub.3)-alkanol provided that where a mixture of two or more such esters are used, they are all derived from the same alkanol, in the presence of a transesterification catalyst, to form a first product mixture; b. subjecting said first product mixture to distillation under reduced pressure not exceeding 40 Torr, thereby to obtain a first distillate being a mixture of alkanol esters of saturated and unsaturated fatty acids, and a first distillation residue being an edible liquid oil having a higher iodine value than said oil used as starting material; c. subjecting said first distillate to fractional distillation under reduced pressure not exceeding 40 Torr, to separate it into a lower boiling saturated fatty acid ester fraction and a higher boiling unsaturated fatty acid ester fraction; d. reacting the saturated fatty acid ester fraction obtained in step (c) with another portion of said oil in the presence of a transesterification catalyst to form a second product mixture; e. subjecting said second product mixture to distillation under reduced pressure not exceeding 40 Torr, thereby to obtain a second distillate being a mixture of alkanol esters of saturated and unsaturated fatty acids, and a second distillation residue being an oil having a lower iodine value than said oil used as starting material; f. subjecting said second distillate to fractional distillation under reduced pressure not exceeding 40 Torr, to separate it into a lower boiling saturated fatty acid ester fraction and a higher boiling unsaturated fatty acid ester fraction; and g. recycling said unsaturated fatty acid ester fractions obtained in steps (c) and (f) to the first transesterification step (a) and recycling the saturated fatty acid ester fraction obtained in step (f) to the second transesterification step (d). 2. A process according to claim 1, wherein the iodine value of the first distillation residue is increased by subjecting it to a further transesterification reaction with unsaturated fatty acid ester of the kind specified in claim 1. 3. A process according to claim 1, wherein the iodine value of the second distillation residue is decreased by subjecting it to a further transesterification reaction with saturated fatty acid ester of the kind specified in claim 1. 4. A process according to claim 1, wherein the edible liquid oil product is winterized so as to separate a crystalline solid oil fraction having a lower iodine value from a liquid oil fraction having a higher iodine value. 5. A process according to claim 4, wherein the crystalline solid oil fraction is recycled to the first transesterification step (a). 6. A process according to claim 1, wherein the second product mixture is winterized so as to separate a crystalline solid fraction being a mixture of an oil having a lower iodine value and saturated and unsaturated fatty acid esters of the alkanol, from a liquid fraction being a mixture of an oil having a higher iodine value and saturated and unsaturated fatty acid esters of the alkanol; and each of these fractions is subjected to distillation under reduced pressure not exceeding 40 Torr, thereby to obtain as distillate a mixture of said esters and as distillation residue an oil having, respectively, a lower and a higher iodine value; the two distillates being combined and subjected together to the fractional distillation step (f). 7. A process according to claim 6, wherein the oil having the higher iodine value, obtained as distillation residue in the distillation of said liquid fraction is recycled to the second transesterification step (d). 8. A process according to claim 1, wherein the second distillate obtained in step (e) is combined with the first distillate obtained in step (b) of a subsequent cycle of the process and the combined distillates are subjected to fractional distillation in a single operation. 9. A process according to claim 1, which is carried out in a continuous manner. 10. A process according to claim 1, wherein the transesterification reactions in steps (a) and (d) are conducted at a temperature of from about 40.degree. to about 100.degree. C., 11. A process according to claim 1, wherein the transesterification reactions in steps (a) and (d) are carried out under an inert atmosphere. 12. A process according to claim 1, wherein in the transesterification steps (a) and (d) the ratio of the oil and the fatty acid ester or mixture of esters is from about 1:3 to about 1:1 by weight. 13. A process according to claim 1, wherein the transesterification reactions in steps (a) and (d) are conducted at a temperature of from about 50.degree. to about 80.degree. C. 14. A process according to claim 1, wherein the transesterification reactions in steps (a) and (d) are carried out under a nitrogen atmosphere. Other info: Inventors: Koslowsky, Ladislav (Ramat-Gan, IL, US) Application Number: 612982 Filing Date: 1975-09-12 Publication_date: 1977-01-18 Assignee: H.L.S. Ltd., Industrial Engineering Company (Petah-Tikva, IL) Primary Class(es): 426/601 426/417, 554/223, 554/224, 554/227 Other Classes: US Patent Ref:
Other Refs: Primary Examiner: Golian, Joseph M. Assistant Examiner: Attorney: Ladas, Parry, Von Gehr, Goldsmith & Deschamps |
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