Benefication of soybean oil by use of centrifuge

Samples of soybean oil were centrifuged in a Sharples supercentrifuge at speeds varying from 15,000 to 45,000 revolutions per minute and with ring dam sizes of #7 to #9 in use in order to determine the effect of centrifuging upon the rancidity, odor, color, and taste of the oil.

It was found that most of the rancidity could be removed, the taste improved slightly, the color only slightly changed, and the odor of the soybean oil improved very much. In general, the quality of the oil was made much more desirable although thirty-five per cent of the oil was lost during the process as soap stock.