What are the steps in the production of palm oil?
Palm oil is derived from the fruit of oil palm trees that are grown in tropical areas of Asia and Africa. While palm oil manufacturers rely on various techniques for extraction of this oil, the basic steps associated with the production of palm oil remain the same. Manufacturers must plant a supply of oil palm and oversee their care through maturity. The fruit of the tree can then be harvested and processed to release oil. The last step in the production of palm oil involves cleaning oil to meet the requirements of various users.
Most global production of palm oil occurs on large plantations in Malaysia and Indonesia. Producers in these countries grow very large crops of oil palm crops that are successful in tropical conditions found in this part of the world. Once the fruit of the oil palms ripens, the crews cut them off the trees in large bundles by means of cats or other tools. Fruits are collected, often manually and transmitted to processing sites placed on placesand abroad. In that time, it is important to manage fruit with caution to minimize bruises, which may negatively affect oil production.
Furthermore, fruit goes through a process known as threshing, in which each piece of fruit is separated from the rest of the bunch. Large processing plants place fruits in rotary drums to complete this process, while small devices for making palm oil are done by hand. After the fruit was separated from each other, they are steamed or simply cooked in hot water. This weakens the pulp oil and helps to break it so that the oil can extract more efficiently. Cooking or steaming also helps with sterilization and hygiene.
After threshing, the next step in the production of palm oil is pressed by pressing the fruit to separate the oil from the leather and pulp. Some devices place fruit in large rotating drums that are beginning to decompose the facts and release part of the oil. PressingIt is difficult where heavy metal plates are mechanically pushed into the fruit to push out the oil. Pressing machines can use hydraulic or pneumatic energy to process large batches at the same time. The oil is then diluted with water and filtered through the screen to remove residues and dirt.
At this stage, oil can be sold as poor palm oil or sent for further processing. During fractionation, palm oil is heated to separate the various triglycerides contained inside. This helps to separate the low quality of oil from better oils that are rich in essential fatty acids, but contain less saturated fat than non -hypertured palm oil.