1356	DEAR SIR, WHAT ARE THE SPECIFICATIONS FOR MIXED FATTY ACID? WHETHER REALLY MALAYSIA IS EXPORTING MIXED FATTY ACID?	balu
Dear Mr Balu, I do not know of any material called mixed fatty acid, but there is one called mixed acid oil (MAO). It can be made up from any mixture of oils, not just PO and can have any fatty acid composition. Most of it goes for animal feeds. I have heard that Malaysia exports a little but there is no recognised specification for it. The seller merely offers it for sale and gives its FFA and M&I values or a sample of it and the buyer then decides whether to buy it or not. I think you can reasonably expect it to have FFA min. 50%. M&I max 1%., but as I mentioned, this is not an official specification. Regards, FP. (19.03.2012)
1355	good day, kindly please help with processes involve in bleaching palm oil to groundnut oil and the machinery involved in this production. thank u	uwa osarinmwian
Dear Mr Uwa, I cannot help you with your problem. Palm oil and ground nut oil need full refining, not just bleaching. But even for bleaching alone, equipment vary and you have to give full details of your plans, the scale of production, feed stock and end product specifications etc. Regards, FP (13.03.2012)
1354	Dear Mr. Frank, I am using a cold process of laundry soap production and i am using : mainly PFAD, and PKO, and some STEAREN and RBDO. What percentage should i use of oil, and as well for water and caustic soda. thanks	ADNAN/W.AFRICA
Dear Mr Ezzeddine, To be able to help you, you must tell me the % composition of your oil charge. The % PKO is very important because it needs much more caustic soda than the other oils do. Regards, FP (13.03.2012)
1353	Hi Mr. Frank, I'm Mr Ng from Malaysia edible oil packing factory. Currently we're facing one issue on RBD Palm Oil that we shipped to Beirut. The end product found some white patches on top surface of the harden PO. Hot filling in tin was applied(~40 degree C) and the finish product didnt go for tempering process. The ambient temperature in beirut now is about 13 - 18 degree C. Mode of transport was sea voyaye. Based on the above information, could you have any idea? Thanks in advance.	Yong Seang Ng
Dear Mr Ng, You are referring to the oil as RBDPO and then as hydrogenated PO. Which is it and if the latter, what is its IV? You cannot refer to HPO without giving its IV. Regards, FP (13.03.2012)
1352	The back ground of my question is why crude palm oil is taken as raw material and crude palm olein is not as both in their raw form cannot be used without refining them.	rwab
Dear Mr Rwabwogo, I do not understand the point of your question. Why is it important to you what people consider CPO and crude palm olein (CPL) to be? CPO is the raw material for RBDPO production and CPL is the raw material for RBDPL producion. I suppose in this case it would be more correct to call it feed stock, but so what? Regards, FP (13.03.2012)
1351	I am not sure what the titre of PFAD is as it varies from company to comnpany. Can I use 100% PFAD to make laundry soap and not get cracking in my soap or will I have to blend it with something else. Also can I achieve light yellow colour soap from using PFAD? also what is the range of titre of oil to be used for making soap (so that it is neither too soft or too hard and cause cracking?). Thanks in advance.	Tariq Amin
Dear Mr Amin, 1) You can use 100% PFAD to make soap. Whether it then cracks or not depends on how you make it and how you use it. 2) You can make yellow coloured soap with PFAD, if you can get yellow coloured PFAD. There is no colour specification for it, so it depends on your supplier 3) The descriptions hard and soft are matters of opinion. Hardness depends.on the fatty acid composition of your oils, any fillers you add and the amount of glycerine and moisture leave in the soap. PFAD provides much less glycerine than PO and so it makes harder soap with greater tendency to crack. The soap maker must make the kind of soap required by his own customer base and it takes a lot of experience. There is no formula or method suitable for all markets and all circumstances. Regards, FP (13.03.2012)
1350	Dear Sir, can i clarify with you about one issue? Regarding CPO supplier adding some chemicals which can boost DOBI value of CPO. This is issue is important to Refining factory as adding this chemicals cause palm olein yield drops.Any method that i can used to detect the suspected chemicals? If you know any possible chemical, could you share with me?	MLMY
Dear Mr LMY, The DOBI value is related to the refining performance of CPO, not to the fractionation performance. Also if your CPO is from Malaysia/ Indonesia, this is produced by huge, profitable, plantation companies, very unlikely to indulge in dishonest practices. Nevertheless, if you are not happy with a supplier, the simplest and best thing to do is to complain to him and if things do not improve go to another supplier, rather than try to find out what he is doing. Regards, F P (13.03.2012)
1349	Hi there, we sell imported Palm Olein IV64, in a middle of europe (from exporter - NMK). Which is sort of highest quality palm olein, generally we have good response from our customers. BUT some complain that the olein is sputtering or it doesnt last as it should comparabely to other oils and get quickly black and burn whilest it is special for frying (should be more stable at higher temperature). We did notice that some cans with the same type palm olein are liquid and some solid even when all of them is store at the same temperature. It is causing serious problem to our clients therefore our business too!!! Please can you advise what can cause it and how we could avoid it (storage, handeling, exporter etc. ?). Thank you a lot. With kind regards, Jozef Gejdos.	Jozef Gejdos
Dear Mr Gejdos, You have mentioned many defects and your problem is too complicated to deal with here because each of those defects can have more than one cause. Also you do not mention whether they relate to one batch or more than one. Look for the batch numbers. Then test the different batches in your stock to see how they compare against the buying specification, especially in respect of IV, Cloud point, FFA, PV and Colour. You should also contact your supplier and discuss the problem, giving him the batch numbers, date of delivery etc so he can identify them. If you are buying from a refinery they will have good laboratories and be able to do a lot of tests. The splattering could be due to moisture, excessive darkening on heating could be due to defective processing, different consistency in different cans could be due to different batches having very different IV. Do not assume that because you are ordering oil with IV 64, that is what you are receiving every time. Mistakes are very common and some suppliers could even buy and resell substandard material. If your buyer is scouting the market to buy from the cheapest possible seller, he is asking for trouble. That is why big end users go to the expense of having their own laboratories and testing every batch they receive. Regards, FP (13.03.2012)
1347	Can you give a correct picture about the density of refined palm olein and crude palm olein with 2%ffa with different temperatures.	chandra sekhar
Dear Mr Sekhar, The density of crude palm olein FFA 2% is 0.897 g/ml at 40C and and that of RBD palm olein can be taken as the same. For other temperatures you have to consult tables because there is any number of temperatures. Regards, FP (12.03.2012)
1346	Dear Sir, Need help for Crude Palm Kernel Oil. Why fractionation of Crude PKO is done before Physical Refining? What will be the effect if we fractionate RBD PKO ? Thank You.	Ganesh Patil
Dear Mr Patil, Crude PKO is preferred for fractionation in some processes because it crystallises into bigger crystals which are easier to separate. It is also better from the quality point of view if deodorisation is done last. Regards, FP (12.03.2012)
1345	Dear Sir, I found out there is a health risk problem to conduct Oil loss test of palm refinery's spent bleaching earth by using hexane especially to my Lab assistant as we know it's carcinogenicity. Through experiment, we found out that using methanol as solvent extractor is much more faster in extract out oils from spent earth. However, I couldn't find any Standards Method which can support the use of methanol as solvent extractor instead of hexane, which is far more harmful. Any idea on how to bring up this matter to make the use of light alcohols as solvents extractor as an international approved method as i am just a normal chemist?	LMY
Dear Mr/Ms LMY, I too have heard of concerns about the health aspects of hexane. Methanol is not as good solvent for oils as hexane, but it is probably good enough, especially if you give the sample an extra wash with it. You can easily test the point by extracting two samples of the same earth with the two solvents and if you get the same result, you are OK. If you want to take the matter further you can write to the American Oil Chemists Society who issue some very good methods.Regards, FP (08.03.2012)
1344	Hi, sir. I would like to know is there any difference between crude palm oil and virgin palm oil. And what is the process for producing Virgin palm oil??	yevonne
Dear Ms Yevonne, Chemically there is no difference between those two grades, but by custom, crude PO is the term used for PO intended for refining, while virgin PO is the term used oil intended for immediate human consumption. Because of this, virgin PO is usually purified by settling out any moisture and impurities present in the crude oil and then filtering to give it more brightness (eye appeal). Crude PO is sold in drums or larger containers while virgin PO is us usually sold in drums or smaller containers. What is done by custom is more important than people think, because much of international commerce is based English law which says " In the absence of an agreement to the contrary, the custom of the trade shall prevail". Good luck in your new venture. Regards, FP (08.03.2012)
1343	I want to know the shelf life of Bleaching Earth. Most of the suppliers are not mentioning it on the bags. Is it indefinite, because earth is from mineral source and non- biodegradeable.	Rehman
Dear Mr Rehman, Your question is very interesting. As you probably know there are two types of bleaching earth, natural and activated. Both are minerals and the refining industry has always treated them as of indefinite life. Nevertheless it is only sensible that as with everything else, old stock should be used first. The matter of indefinite life is an assumption and has never actually been tested and I have some reservations that activated earth may lose a little activity over time. You may be surprised that so many things have not been tested, but research costs money and no project is undertaken until some one in industry decides there is need for it and pays for it and then agrees to release it for publication. Regards, FP (02.03.2012)
1342	Hi, Mr. Frank. Sorry to make you misunderstand. i mean the color increment of stearin during storage. The color increased abruptly after some time of storage. Some time just within several days! Is it consider normal? Anything can help to stop/slow down the increment?	Mandy
Dear Mr/Ms Mandy, The comments I made to your previous question apply here as well. The darkening of the colour of PS is due to the oxidation of some of its minor components. There is no magic ingredient you can add to prevent it, otherwise it would have been done long ago, but there are many things you can do to slow it down. Eg. you can buy better quality oil, make sure it is transported from the factory to you under the good specified conditions and make sure you store it correctly after you receive it. There are dozens of specific things you can do towards those ends, but they depend on what you are already doing, where you are buying from, the amount you store, whether you are a manufacturer, or trader, etc . Your questions consisting of one or two lines, give me too little information to go on with and I cannot mention all the possible things that can be done, in case one or two of them apply to your circumstances. Regards, FP (02.03.2012)
1341	Hi, Mr. Frank. You got any idea how to slow down color increment of stearin? Any processing aid will help?	Mandy
Dear Mr Mr/Ms Mandy, If you mean the darkening of the colour during frying, all PO products suffer from it and not just PS. It is due to trace amounts of a compound related to the tocotrienols present in PO and which are otherwise highly beneficial for resistance to oxidation and also for health. There seems to be a way to remove it but it is commercial secret which I can not publicise here. However, any extra processing will cost money and I do not think customers will pay it. The fact is PO is just about the cheapest oil on the market and in nearly every respect it is also better than its competitors, so it is very difficult to justify sacrificing its price advantage for any minor improvement. The early darkening of its colour does not affect its performance at all. Regards, FP (29.02.2012)
1340	Dear sir, I'm an undergraduate from Malaysia. I'm currently doing my final year project and I deal with EFB. May I know is shredded EFB and shredded EFB fibre the same? Do they have any difference in terms of their properties? I would appreciate it if sir can reply me as soon as possible. Thank you very much.	Crystal Cheah
Dear Mr Cheah, I think you want to know the difference between EFB and shredded EFB, although that is not exactly what you wrote. I normally do not help students with their questions as an important part of what they have to learn is where to find information. However your question is simply about the meaning of words and so I am answering it. Palm fruit comes in bunches FFB) of 10- 30 Kg. When these bunches are steamed and the fruit removed at the mill, what is left is empty fruit bunches (EFB). As you will appreciate, a mill produces very large amounts of them every day and they have to be disposed of. A good use for them is shred them into small pieces, spread them in the field and let them rot there, as they save on expensive fertilisers. The small pieces are easier to spread and rot quicker. Regards, FP (25.02.2012)
1338	Please Sir, Am from Nigeria. I want to know how to start the Business of Palm Oil in Nigeria. what are the process in starting the busiess, and how cani also be an importer, then convert the product into current power usage.	Falana David
Dear Mr David, This page is for technological questions and I have no idea how to start a business in Nigeria. Different countries have different legal requirements and your bare statement "business for PO in Nigeria" could mean a dozen different things. I suggest you ask some experienced trader in your own city, or join this website which is full of other traders and make contacts. As you seem to have some capital, perhaps you can join some established business as a partner. In regard to PO as a fuel for power stations, they would probably use crude PO or PFAD but you must visit them and find out for sure. Also do not be in a hurry to start importing because Nigeria now produces a lot of its own PO. regards, FP (24.02.2012)
1337	Dear Sir, My name is Taufik and I’m working in refinery plant in Malaysia. My question, may I know the specific heat of RBDPL IV57 and how to calculate it?	Taufik
Dear Mr Taufik, The specific heat of RBD palm olein is 0.5 Kcal / g and it is usually determined by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). For a description of the method you have to refer to books on oil analysis. Regards, FP (23.02.2012)
1336	We are getting occasional yellow/brown spot in the surface of soap noodles while carrying out stability test of soap noodles. The test method is - soap noodles chips in conical flask with stopper is kept in the oven at 90 deg C for 16 hrs. Then the flask is taken out, cooled and soap noodles appearance is visually checked. There should not be any yellowing or brown spot however small on the surface of the noodles and noodle should not develop any fatty note. Our product fails time to time in this test. We use PFAD, Hd PFAD or RBDPS and lauric in fat charge.	Gautam
Dear Mr Gautam, The problem seems to be due to free oil separating out. either from super fatting or from incomplete saponification. Soap noodles are not usually super fatted, but do check the manufacturer's specification and literature to see what they say about it. You can then write to the manufacturers sending a sample etc. But first you must inform your buyer the materials are defective as the primary responsibility is on him to buy better, not on you to find the cause. Regards. FP (23.02.2012)
1335	We would like to have brief on following points. 1. What is Palm Stearin, Crude Palm Stearin and RBD Palm Stearin? How it differs from each other? 2. Technical characteristics of all these grade. 3. What is Stearic Acid? 4. Manufacturing process of Stearic Acid from Palm Stearin.	Chirag Shah
Dear Mr Shah, You have asked too many questions rolled into one, which forces me to give only brief answers to each one. 1) Palm Stearin (PS) is the harder fraction obtained from PO fractionation. Crude PS is from crude PO and RBD PS is from RBD PO. 2) The technical characteristics of these grades are too many to give you here and also depend on where you buy from. Usually the MP is min 44C. The main difference is in their colour and FFA which for RBD PS is below 0.1% 3) Stearic acid is one of the major fatty acids making up the composition of oils. 4) It can be produced from PS by hydrogenating it to increase its stearic acid content to about 45%, High pressure steam splitting to separate out the glycerine and then fractional distillation to purify it. The product is about 55/45 palmitic/stearic, but it passes as commercial stearic acid. The above processes are quite capital intensive. Regards FP (22.02.2012)