Cargill Inc.

Dennis D Otten

Harapanahalli S Muralidhara

Bassam Farid Jirjis

Gary F Seymour

Xiaohong Luo

A method for processing vegetable oil miscella is provided. The method includes steps of feeding vegetable oil miscella to a conditioned polymeric microfiltration membrane, and recovering a permeate stream having a decreased weight percent of phospholipids compared with the weight percent of phospholipids provided in the miscella. The retentate stream can be further processed for the recovery of lecithin. The polymeric microfiltration membrane can be conditioned for the selective separation of phospholipids in the miscella. A method for conditioning a membrane for selective separation of phospholipids from vegetable oil miscella, and the resulting membrane, are provided. The membrane which can be conditioned can be characterized as having an average pore size of between about 0.1&#x3bc; and about 2&#x3bc;.

Method and apparatus for processing vegetable oil miscella, method for conditioning a polymeric microfiltration membrane, membrane, and lecithin product

A method for processing vegetable oil miscella is provided. The method includes steps of feeding vegetable oil miscella to a conditioned polymeric microfiltration membrane, and recovering a permeate stream having a decreased weight percent of phospholipids compared with the weight percent of phospholipids provided in the miscella. The retentate stream can be further processed for the recovery of lecithin. The polymeric microfiltration membrane can be conditioned for the selective separation of phospholipids in the miscella. A method for conditioning a membrane for selective separation of phospholipids from vegetable oil miscella, and the resulting membrane, are provided. The membrane which can be conditioned can be characterized as having an average pore size of between about 0.1&mgr; and about 2&mgr;.

A single-step acid degumming/decolorizing process removes chlorophyll-type compounds from vegetable oils from seeds, especially frost damaged seeds which have large amounts of chlorophyll-type compounds. A mixture of aqueous sulfuric and phosphoric acids is blended with the oil to remove chlorophyll-type compounds from the oil. The purified oil has less than about 5 ppm chlorophyll-type compounds, less than about 50 ppm phosphorus and less than about 1.0 weight percent free fatty acids.

Removal of gum and chlorophyll-type compounds from vegetable oils

A method for removing phospholipids from vegetable oil miscella is provided. The method includes steps of feeding vegetable oil miscella to a conditioned polymeric microfiltration membrane, and recovering a permeate stream having a decreased weight percent of phospholipids compared with the weight percent of phospholipids provided in the miscella. The polymeric microfiltration membrane can be conditioned for the selective separation of phospholipids in the miscella. A method for conditioning a membrane for selective separation of phospholipids from vegetable oil miscella, and the resulting membrane, are provided. The membrane which can be conditioned can be characterized as having an average pore size of between about 0.1&mgr;and about 2&mgr;.

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Elk River, MN, United States of America

Dennis D Otten