Abstract:
Purification of crude oil through the degumming and neutralization step is intended to remove undesirable unwanted components such as gums and free fatty acids (FFA). This study aims was to determine the quality of netralized red fruit (Pandanus conoideus L.) oil (RFO) with an alkaline solutions. The process of neutralization of degumed RFO was conducted by using three concentration of NaOH solution (0.8N, 1N and 1.25N), with oil: alkali: water ratio was 5: 1: 1 and sevent time washing. Quality parameters of neutralized RFOs tested included yield, free fatty acid (FFA), peroxide number, total carotenoid and tocopherol. The results of this study indicated that the yields of neutralized RFO’s ranged from 40-54%. The FFA levels of degummed RFO (1.15%) could be lowered to 0.31% by netralization. The use of NaOH solution with higher normality tends to decrease the FFA levels of RFO, but did not affect peroxide numbers content. Total carotenoid and tocopherol content of neutralized RFOs ranged from 6467-6859 ppm and 2012-2212 ppm, respectively, and it tends to be higher than crude oil or degumed RFO. Overall, the neutralization process can improve the quality of RFO.