Edible Oil Processing

The ability to process oils and fats to make them acceptable as part of our food supplies is a key component in our overall knowledge of them. Without this ability, the food that we consume would be totally different, and much of the flexibility available to us as a result of the application of processing techniques would be lost. Obviously we need to know how to process fatty oils, but we also need to know how best to use them once they have been processed. This volume presents, at professional and reference level, the current state of the art of the edible oils industry, focusing on the various processing stages and considering issues of both chemistry and process engineering. It considers the transformation of the oil from a vast panorama of lipids in an oilseed or an oil-bearing fruit to a functional product, highlighting the links between the different stages. Information is provided on the types and characteristics of oils to be processed, their sources, their principal fields of application and changes in the pattern of oil demand. Chapters are included on quality assurance, safety and environmental considerations. The book is written for chemists and technologists working in edible oils and fats processing; food scientists and technologists; analytical chemists and quality assurance personnel; and lipid chemists working in academic research laboratories.