Modern Approaches to Vegetable Oil Fractionation

This study analyses the fractionation of vegetable oils using the methods known up to this point and examines the use of these fractions in various industries. Emphasis was placed on sunflower oil due to its high-oleic acid content, which has health benefits. As a novel fractionation method, the work primarily focuses on molecular distillation, a method that leads to high purities, advantageous for heat-sensitive or easily degradable substances and has been studied up to pilot scale until now. Three sunflower oil samples were subjected to experimental and empirical analysis. The results were compared with available literature data and process simulators outputs.