Dewaxing is an important process step in the processing of edible oil, which is mainly used to remove waxy components that may exist in oil. Waxes are fatty acid esters with high melting point, which are commonly found in vegetable oils, such as sunflower oil, corn oil and rice bran oil. Although waxes are harmless to human body, they can make oil turbid or precipitate at low temperature, thus affecting the appearance and quality of oil products. Therefore, the implementation of dewaxing process can improve the transparency and stability of edible oil.

The basic principle of dewaxing is to separate wax by controlling temperature and filtering technology, taking advantage of its easy crystallization at low temperature. Specific steps usually include the following stages:

1. Cooling crystallization: The edible oil is cooled to a certain low temperature range (usually 0℃ to -10℃), at which time the wax will gradually precipitate and form tiny crystals.

2. Standing or stirring: In order to fully form wax crystals, the oil needs to be kept in a low temperature environment for a period of time. Sometimes slight stirring is used to promote the crystallization process.

3. Filtration and separation: The crystallized wax is separated from the oil by filtering equipment.

The dewaxed edible oil can remain clear and transparent at low temperature, and will not be turbid due to wax precipitation. Especially for products that need to be exported or sold in a refrigerated environment, this process is particularly important.

It should be noted that the dewaxing process needs to strictly control the temperature, time and operating conditions, otherwise it may lead to the decline of oil quality or the increase of oil loss. Therefore, modern edible oil processing plants usually adopt advanced equipment and automation technology to ensure the high efficiency and stability of dewaxing process.

In a word, dewaxing is one of the key steps in the process of edible oil refining, which not only improves the sensory quality of oil, but also enhances its market competitiveness. Through scientific and reasonable process design and operation, consumers can enjoy more high-quality and safe edible oil products.