Open AccessCrystallisation and Melting Behavior of Methyl Esters of Palm Oil
Author(s) -
Cheng Sit Foon,
Yung Chee Liang,
Noor Lida Habi Mat Dian,
Choo Yuen May,
Chuah Cheng Hock,
Ma Ah Ngan
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
american journal of applied sciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1554-3641
pISSN - 1546-9239
DOI - 10.3844/ajassp.2006.1859.1863
Subject(s) - palm oil , crystallization , palm , materials science , chemical engineering , pulp and paper industry , chemistry , food science , organic chemistry , engineering , physics , quantum mechanics
The methyl esters of palm oil, which consists of saturated and unsaturated esters (0.6 to 95.9% unsaturation) of the C12 to C18 fatty acids, solidify at the two temperature ranges, -52 to -45°C and -24 to 21°C, when the esters are cooled. When the esters are heated, they melt at two distinct temperatures, -25 and -33°C and a broad peak at -9 to 28°C. The heating thermograms also showed an exothermic crystallisation peak in between two endothermic melting peaks, indicating the occurrence of re-crystallisation of low melting methyl esters into higher melting point crystal and then melt again at higher temperature