This invention relates to systems and methods for determining the free fatty acid content in oils, particularly edible oils.
Crude edible oils, such as soybean oil, cottonseed oil, corn oil, fish oil and the like, frequently contain undesirable amounts of free fatty acids which affect their quality. Various techniques are employed to remove free fatty acids and other contaminants. In one technique commonly used, a base is added to the oil to neutralize excessive amounts of free fatty acids. The free fatty acid content for many edible oils should be less than 0.05% and preferably in the range of 0.02 to 0.03%.
A system capable of measuring the free fatty acid content of oils during the refining process is highly desirable for a closer process control which can result in high yields, tighter product specification and an increase in the effectiveness of a subsequent bleaching step. A system capable of continuously producing an output signal representative of the free fatty acid content on a continuous basis is particularly desirable because it can be conveniently incorporated into completely automated process controls.
Conventional detectors employing an electrode type sensor usually cannot be conveniently used to determine the concentration of a component in a non-aqueous medium without incorporating complex auxiliary circuitry or other equipment.