Mineral oil hydrocarbons (MOSH/MOAH) in tropical plants oils and removal of them by molecular distillation

Abstract

Nowadays, tropical plants oils (e.g. palm oil and coconut oil) are extensively used in consumer products, especially in infant formulas. However, there is a lack of statistical data about the levels of mineral oil in tropical oils, including saturated hydrocarbons (MOSH) and aromatic hydrocarbons (MOAH). In this study, we reported a survey of MOSH/MOAH in tropical oils. Meanwhile, we provided an effective strategy to reduce the content of MOSH/MOAH. A total of 708 tropical plant oils were collected from five tropical countries for this survey. The highest quantifiable MOSH and MOAH concentrations were up to 455.99 mg kg-1 and 78.87 mg kg-1, respectively. Thereinto, MOSH was ubiquitous in almost all the tested samples. The distribution of sub-fractions for MOSH was centered at C25-C35 and C35-C40 for most crude and refined oils. After distillation, the MOH sub-fraction ≤C40 could be removed effectively, but there was no effect on the sub-fraction >C40.