1. Mario Bernardini, Chairman
The tradition of
designing the future
Mitigating 3-MCPD & GE Content in Edible Oil: Latest Technologies & Innovations
Mario Bernardini, Chairman

2. WHO WE ARE
CMBITALY - TECHNOILOGY is an international engineering company specialized in the design and manufacturing of plants for Edible Oils Extraction and Refinery, Oleochemicals, Biodiesel Production and Mineral Oil Re-refining. With more than 50 years of experience in the world of Oils & Fats, the company has achieved over 1400 plants around the world under the leadership of Bernardini family.

3. FROM PLANTATION TO PROCESSING: WHAT WE HAVE TO KNOW ABOUT 3-MCPD & GE?

4. Palm Oil and EU regulations
The chemical 3-monochloropropanediol (3-MCPD) and related substances called 3-MCPD esters are food processing contaminants found in some processed foods and vegetable oils, including palm oil.
3-MCPD and its esters are formed unintentionally in these foods, in particular during oil refining processes. EFSA’s expert panel on contaminants first assessed the potential risks of 3-MCPD in 2016 together with another food processing contaminant called glycidyl fatty acid esters (GE). EFSA concluded that GE are a concern for public health because they are genotoxic and carcinogenic, i.e. they can damage DNA and cause cancer.

5. Palm Oil and EU regulations
The European Commission is finalizing new EU legislation aimed at reducing GE levels in vegetable oils and food.
In 2018, EFSA has updated the accepted level of 3-MCPD – Tolerable Daily Intake or “TDI” - and its esters whereas previous assessment of GE has not changed.
TDI
Vegetable oil GE
1000 (μg/kg)
1ppm
3-MCPD (μg/kg)
2 (μg/kg) -
Source: EFSA 2018

6. 3-MCPD GE 3-monocholopropanediol Glycidyl Esters
3-MCPD and Glycidyl Esters (GE) are contaminants that are now considered Carcinogenic (respectively non-genotoxic and genotoxic), and therefore harmful for human health.
They are not present in crude oils but are formed during Refining process, in particular during Deodorizing which usually requires high temperatures (above 240°).

7. Average concentration of 3-MCPD and GE in refined vegetable oils
Main precursor of 3-MCPD is Chlorine which is contained in fertilizers, pesticides, saline soil, diluting water, steam condensate and sludge. Others are Tricglycerides and Acidic conditions.
GE are formed at high temperatures.
Average concentration of 3-MCPD and GE in refined vegetable oils
VEGETABLE OIL
3-MCPD GE
PALM 3 4
SUNFLOWER
0.5
0.25
SOYBEAN
0.4
0.2
RAPESEED

8. Production flow in Palm oil Processing: acting on precursors or esters
PLANTATION
OIL MILL
REFINERY
EXTRACTION
CPO
RBDO
AVOID FORMATION OF OF 3MCPD & GE
REMOVAL OF PRECURSORS OF 3-MCPD

9. Washing CPO
CPO often contains residues of elements that will contribute to the formation of MCPD and GE during the Refining Process. In order to significantly lower the presence of these elements, it is necessary to wash CPO with dechlorinated water.
Recently, a lot of Palm oil mills – especially in Malaysia, Indonesia, Colombia - have installed a washing system using centrifugal separators.

10. Washing CPO

11. LATEST TECHNOLOGIES FOR EXISTING AND NEW REFINING PLANTS

12. REFINING PROCESS
Oil Processing industry has been requested to reduce the presence of 3-MCPD and GE in Refined oils used for in food for human consumption. Considered that 3-MCPD and GE are heat induced contaminants, it is essential to avoid their formation during the Refining Process, in particular during the Physical Refining - Deodorizing step. c

13. SOFT OIL REFINING VS PALM OIL REFINING
Main processes in case of Soft Oils like soia, sunflower, rapeseed, corn, etc.. are:
- Degumming – Neutralizing and Washing unit with centrifugal separators
- Bleaching and Filtering
- Winterizing
- Deodorizing / Physical Refining
In the above case, soapstock and/or fatty acids are produced as By-products.
Palm Oil is normally refined by:
Dry Degumming – Bleaching – Filtering
Physical Refining provided with Packed column – Deodorizer
Fractionation
In this case, only crude fatty acids are produced as by-products.

14. BY-PRODUCTS OBTAINED FROM EDIBLE OIL REFINING
MAIN PRODUCT
REFINING
BY PRODUCTS:
FROM SOFT OILS:
ACID OIL FROM SOAPSTOCK
FROM PALM OIL-PKO:
FATTY ACIDS FROM PHYSICAL REFINING

15. Stearine Oleine PALM OIL PROCESSING DEGUMMING / BLEACHING
PHYSICAL REFINING
REFINED PALM OIL
FRACTIONATION
Stearine
Oleine

16. DRY DEGUMMING AND BLEACHING
The oil to be bleached coming from other plants or from storage is filtered in order to remove any entrained solid particles contained in it. The filtered oil is then heated up to operating temperature by a plate heat exchanger.
Afterward, an oil-citric acid mixture passes into reaction vessel where it remains for the time necessary to the completion of the degumming reaction.
Degummed oil is sucked into the upper part of the bleacher. The bleacher is divided in two parts: the upper one has a coil fed with steam under temperature control, which heats the slurry at the required temperature.
Being the bleacher under vacuum, any trace of moisture left in the oil is removed.
The heated slurry flows continuously into the lower part of the bleacher where a mixing with steam provides for an intimate contact between the oil and the bleaching earths. The slurry coming out of the bleacher is transferred to one of the two NIAGARA type filters and then sent to storage.

17. In order to avoid the formation of 3-MCPD it is necessary to use bleaching earth free of chloride.

19. PHYSICAL REFINING AND DEODORIZING
During this step, the bleached oil is heated up to the temperature of operation of dehydrator by a heat transfer from the hot deodorised oil.
From the dehydrator, the oil is transferred to heat exchangers, to the flash drum - where part of the fatty acids evaporates - and then to the pack column.
This system of exchangers allows a good heat recovery. The oil is retained for a pre-set time in the physical refining column which comprises of:
an upper part, with a special packing to facilitate an intimate contact between the incoming oil and the steam, where the deodorising/physical refining begins
a lower part, where the oil is subjected to a violent live steam injection blown in by mammoth pumps, where deodorising is completed.

20. The combined effect of stripping steam and retention time, under the optimum temperature and vacuum conditions for each type of oil, makes possible to remove by distillation the free fatty acids and odoriferous substances contained in the oil.
In case of palm oil, the temperature for Physical Refining – Deodorizing must be as low as possible.
During Deacidification, the vegetable oil must be kept at high temperature the shortest time possible.

21. 3MCPD and GE
Temperature Deodorizer

23. As an alternative to Degumming and Physical Refining, in order to reduce 3MCPD and GE in refined oil, it is recommended to neutralize oil with caustic soda and then proceed with Bleaching and Deodorizing at low temperature for 3-4 hours.
For a small capacity such as 50 TPD, it is highly recommended to use a classic batch system like the one in the following slide.

25. DRY FRACTIONATION
RBDPO is fed to a plate heat exchanger where the oil is heated to about 65C by using 3 bar steam and before entering the crystallizers. Once the oil reaches the high level of the crystallizer, feed pump will automatically stop, and the cooling programmed will begin. The cooling programme of each crystallizer is being controlled by the PLC system. Due to a special design of cooling surface area, we are able to obtain a very constant crystal formation which is the most suitable for filtration by membrane press filter. The total cooling cycle for each crystallizer is completed within hours. (depends type of product).

26. The slurry oil from the crystallizers is then sent to the membrane filter. The filtrate obtained is composed by olein which passes through a filter cloth and then out into a channel to a receiver olein tank, and by stearin which fills in the chambers. The feeding stops and the stearin is squeezed by using 16 bar olein squeezing pressure. When the squeezing is done, the frames are hydraulically opened and the solid (stearin) drops into a melting tank.
The plant is designed with a special cooling programme (cooling curve), which is proven to give higher olein yield.

28. DRY FRACTIONATION PLANT
INLET AND OUTLET PRODUCT CHARACTERISTICS: CONSUMPTION FIGURES
INLET: FEEDSTOCK SPECIFICATION
RBD Palm Oil
Free Fatty Acid : % max
Moisture Content : 0.03 % max
Solid Particle Content : 0.03 % max
Iodine Value :
Colour 5 1/4”cell : R
Temperature : 70 C

29. DRY FRACTIONATION PLANT
OUTLET: FEEDSTOCK & PRODUCTS SPECIFICATION N°
Feedstock IV
Products IV
(Olein)
Olein Yield
(%)
Stearin yield
Cycle
Time 1
51.5 56
80  2
20  2
10 hours 2 58
75  2
25  2
12 hours

30. Thank you! Headquarters: CMBITALY – TECHNOILOGY
Via D. Federici, 12/14 - Cisterna di Latina
Tel./Fax:
Contacts: Mario Bernardini
Thank you!