Rice bran oil is derived from rice bran, a byproduct of rice processing. Refining it from a coarse crude oil into clear, pure, first-level extracted rice bran oil that meets national standards requires a complex and precise refining process. As one of the leading domestic grain and oil machinery manufacturers, Henan Huatai Cereals and Oils Machinery Co., Ltd. leverages its extensive technical expertise and project experience to provide customers with a complete, mature, efficient, and stable first-level rice bran oil refining solution.
Why does rice bran oil require extensive refining?
Unlike most vegetable oils, crude rice bran oil is highly complex, containing high levels of free fatty acids (FFA), waxes, pigments (such as chlorophyll), non-triglycerides, and other impurities. This results in a high acid value, easy rancidity, dark color, and low smoke point, making it unsuitable for direct consumption. The purpose of primary refining is to remove these harmful and undesirable components while maximizing the retention of nutrients such as oryzanol and phytosterols, ensuring the safety, stability, aesthetic appeal, and nutritional value of the oil.
Henan Huatai Cereals and Oils Machinery Co., Ltd.: Complete Process Flow for Primary Rice Bran Oil Refining
The modern, continuous rice bran oil refining equipment provided by Huatai Oil Machinery typically includes the following core processes, which together constitute the complete primary refining chain for rice bran oil:
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Degumming
Purpose: Removes soluble impurities such as phospholipids, proteins, and mucilage from the crude oil. These substances affect the oil’s stability and subsequent refining results.
Huatai’s process: Mostly utilizes a water degumming process. Huatai’s high-efficiency mixing reactors and centrifuges ensure thorough and efficient degumming.
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Deacidification
Purpose: Removes free fatty acids that contribute to excessive acid value and off-flavor. This is the most critical and difficult step in rice bran oil refining.
Huatai’s process: Mainly utilizes physical refining. This method uses high vacuum and high temperature conditions to directly introduce steam to distill out free fatty acids (FFAs). Compared to traditional chemical alkali refining, physical refining offers a higher yield, avoids soapstock formation, and eliminates neutral oil loss. It is particularly suitable for high-acid-value rice bran oil and is the preferred process for producing first-grade oil. Huatai’s deacidification tower is well-designed, ensuring uniform steam distribution and extremely high deacidification efficiency.
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Decolorization
Purpose: To adsorb and remove pigments (such as beta-carotene and chlorophyll), trace metals, residual soap particles, and phospholipids from the oil.
Huatai’s process: Utilizes a clay decolorization system. Under vacuum conditions, activated clay is thoroughly mixed with the oil. The adsorption process is completed in Huatai’s highly efficient decolorization tower. The clay is then thoroughly separated using an advanced leaf filter or vertical plate and frame filter, ensuring a clear and translucent oil.
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Dewaxing
Purpose: Rice bran oil contains a high-melting-point wax, which precipitates at room temperature, causing turbidity in the oil and affecting its appearance and taste. Dewaxing is a key refining step unique to rice bran oil.
Huatai’s process: utilizes a classic approach of crystallization, crystal growth, and filtration. The oil is first cooled to a specific low temperature to allow wax crystals to precipitate. Then, the oil is placed in a precisely designed crystal growth tank, where sufficient time is allowed for the formation of a stable crystal form. Finally, a high-pressure membrane filter or vacuum filter is used to completely separate the wax crystals, resulting in an oil product that remains clear even at low temperatures.
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Deodorization
Purpose: Removes volatile substances (such as aldehydes and ketones), residual FFAs, and peroxides that cause odors from the oil, improving its flavor and smoke point while stabilizing its quality.
Huatai’s process: utilizes high-temperature, high-vacuum deodorization technology. Direct steam stripping is introduced under extremely high vacuum (absolute pressure ≤ 3 mbar) and temperature (≥ 240°C) to thoroughly remove odorous substances. Huatai’s continuous deodorization tower integrates heat exchange, heating, deodorization, cooling, and heat recovery systems, resulting in low energy consumption, high efficiency, and a pure finished oil flavor.
Advantages of Choosing Henan Huatai Oil Machinery
1) Technology: With 37+ years of experience in the grain and oil machinery industry, we have a deep understanding of the high acid value and high wax content of rice bran oil, enabling highly targeted process design.
2) Proven Process: We provide turnkey projects from pretreatment and extraction to refining, with a preferred physical refining route to ensure economic benefits for our customers.
3) Stability and Efficiency: Our equipment is constructed of high-quality stainless steel, with imported key components (such as the centrifuge and vacuum system). This ensures stable operation, a high degree of automation, and high refining yields.
4) Full-Service: We provide one-stop services from project planning, equipment manufacturing, installation and commissioning to technical training and production guidance to ensure smooth rice bran oil production.
Conclusion: The rice bran oil refining process is a systematic project that requires extremely high technical and equipment requirements. Henan Huatai Cereals and Oils Machinery Co., Ltd., with its advanced process design, reliable equipment manufacturing, and comprehensive service system, is helping numerous customers around the world maximize the value of “rice gold” and produce safe, healthy, and high-quality primary rice bran oil to meet growing market demand.
If you are planning or upgrading a rice bran oil refining project and seeking a stable and efficient first-grade oil solution, Henan Huatai Oil Machinery is undoubtedly your trustworthy partner.
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