No detectable amount of polymerization or tr~ene conjugation occurred on bleaching refined cottonseed oil with either activated alumina or with sulfurous acid-treated alumina, although insignificant amounts of diene conjugation and trans-isomerization occurred. AOM stability, tocopherol content, and fatty acid composition, as determined by gas-liquid chromatography (GLC), were comparable with values obtained with oil bleached with natural earth. Hydrogenation of the oils proceeded normally. Taste panel evaluations of the deodorized oils revealed their flavor stability to be equal to that of the same oil bleached with AOCS official earth.