The use of activated carbon in the edible oils industry.
Vegetable and fish oils typically require purification to remove a range of possible contaminants, thereby making them suitable for human consumption. Sources of edible oils include olives, coconut, palm kernels, rapeseed, soya, sunflowers and cod.
The type and concentration of pollutants will depend on various environmental and processing factors, for example the use of herbicides and pesticides, or contamination caused during the drying or transportation process. Typical contaminants include the following:
- Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), including benz[a]anthracene (BaA), benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) and chrysene
- Glycidyl fatty acid esters (GEs)
- Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs)
- Dioxins and furans (in the case of fish oils)
Activated carbon, usually in combination with bleaching earth (BE) in a one- or two-stage purification process, is a well-established technology for the removal of unwanted colour, odour and other contaminants from edible oils. For efficient PAH removal , carbon dosage rates are typically in the range 0.5-1.5% by mass of oil, dependent of the level of contamination present.
The Puragen group has established itself as a leading supplier of high quality carbons, usually powdered activated carbon (PAC), into this industry and has many references throughout Europe and beyond.
Our range of Filtracarb® activated carbons offers products with the following optimised features:
- High quality coal-based adsorbents
- Optimum macroporous structure for removal of the contaminants mentioned above
- Excellent filterability combined with minimised oil retention, giving higher throughput and greater plant efficiency
- Food Chemicals Codex (FCC), plus Halal and Kosher accreditation
Our product range includes:
Filtracarb® SK1® – available in both powder (PAC) and granular (GAC) forms, and ideal for removal of high molecular weight contaminants. It is considered by many to be the ‘industry standard’ and laboratory results indicate >99% removal efficiency for PAH compounds.
Filtracarb® EO325 Ultra – also offers excellent PAH removal, with improved filterability characteristics in two-stage purification processes (bleaching earth followed by PAC).
Our team of experts is ready to assist edible oil producers and processors to select the most efficient and cost-effective solution to your purification challenges.
