3.1 Production of sterols fromvegetable oil distillates
Edible vegetable oils, extracted from oil seeds, are typically refined to remove minor oil components
like phosphatides, free fatty acids, pigments and odours, with the least possible damage to the
glycerides and with minimal loss of oil. The conventional or caustic refining procedure comprises
degumming, neutralization, bleaching and deodorization.In physical refining, the neutralization step is
omitted and the residual free fatty acids are removed in the final deodorization step.