Abstrak

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Crude palm oil (CPO) contains free fatty acids which usually forms as solid in room temperature, and act as one of quality indicator for the oil. The storage tank is heated accordingly to prevent solidification, which may reach beyond 40oC, and lead to rapid deterioration due to oxidation, hydrolysis, and high temperature. In order to prevent the degradation of CPO during storage, and extend its shelf life, several techniques will be introduced. The first objective of this research is to maintain palm oil quality during storage and transport in prolonged time with multiple heat exposure, by applying treatments prior to storage. The second objective is to identify which treatments bring the best result for maintaining oil quality during storage with multiple heating. The third objective is to develop the method for evaluating the oil quality nondestructively. The fourth objective is to build a scale-down prototype of storage tank for palm oil to accommodate the selected treatment methods, and tested the prototype through a sequence cycle of heating and cooling. In the first phase, the experiment has identified the best treatment for maintaining crude palm oil (CPO) quality during multiple handling. The technique includes: combination of modified atmospheric conditions, pressures, and temperatures though the introduction of inert gases (Ar, He, and N2); electrolysis; introducing natural bleaching agents; and semi-processing the oil with acids. These treatments had been performed in the Gifu University, Japan, which provide laboratories, high-end equipment, manpower, and research materials, in particular high-cost inert gases and equipment. Oil then stored trough heating and cooling cycles while its quality monitored regularly at certain time interval. The treatments that most prevent oil deterioration is Identified. In this year (second phase) our experiment has identified fatty acids in the oil that most susceptible to deterioration due to heat and shelf time, as an indicator for quality deterioration rate. This fatty acid is isolated by ultra-high-pressure carbon column and analyzed using spectrophotometry, and identified according to its absorbance properties as C18:3, C18:2 and C18:1, including wavelength. The wavelengths that is most sensitive absorbance change due to deterioration is selected as indicator for nondestructive quality inspection of palm oil. Two wavelengths (269nm and 446nm) positively corresponding to the deterioration of the oil palm. The experiments were performed in the Gifu University, Japan, which provide laboratories, manpower, research materials, and expensive equipment, in particular UHPLC MS-MS2. A mathematical model was developed for correlating the absorbance value of the wavelength with oil deterioration level. The method for analyzing the oil quality under storage through nondestructive evaluation was established based on the selected fatty acids, its absorbance response to quality deterioration, and mathematical model developed. The developed model will be submitted for patent. In the third phase, a scaled down storage tank for palm oil will be built to store the oil and performed storage treatments which delivered the best performance to maintain oil quality according to the results in the first phase. Multiple heating will be applied to the oil in tank through heating and cooling cycles. The oil quality will be monitored regularly by nondestructive evaluation methods developed in the second phase of the experiment. The experiments will be performed in Andalas University. The results have explained the oil deterioration rate in the supply chains multiple handling after treated with selected methods. The storage tank design will be introduced to oil palm companies for further development an