Dewaxing process is a common refining step in the production of edible oil refineries, but not all edible oils need to go through this process. The main purpose of dewaxing is to remove waxy components from oil, so as to improve the transparency and low temperature stability of oil.

What is dewaxing process?

The dewaxing process is usually suitable for vegetable oils, such as sunflower oil, corn oil and rapeseed oil. These vegetable oils may become turbid at low temperature due to the precipitation of waxy components, which will affect the appearance and consumer acceptance. By dewaxing, these waxes can be effectively removed, so that the oil can remain clear and transparent when stored at low temperature.

Which edible oils need dewaxing?

Whether dewaxing is necessary depends mainly on the source and use of edible oil. For example:

1. Oils to be dewaxed: sunflower seed oil, rice bran oil, corn oil and other vegetable oils containing more wax. These oils are prone to white precipitation at low temperature, so dewaxing is needed to improve their quality.

2. Oils that do not need dewaxing: Some vegetable oils such as olive oil and coconut oil usually do not need dewaxing process because they contain little wax or are not easy to precipitate at low temperature.

Effect of dewaxing on the quality of edible oil

Dewaxing can not only improve the appearance of edible oil, but also improve its low-temperature storage performance. However, the dewaxing process has little effect on nutrients, because wax itself is not the main nutrient in edible oil. In addition, the dewaxed oil is more suitable for scenes requiring high transparency, such as cold salad or directly used as seasoning.

Not all edible oils need to be dewaxed. Dewaxing is a necessary step for those vegetable oils that contain more wax and have higher requirements on appearance. For oil products that do not contain obvious wax or have low transparency requirements, this process can be omitted. Therefore, consumers can choose suitable products according to their own needs and uses when purchasing edible oil.