PROCESS FOR DEODORIZING AND/OR PHYSICAL REFINING OF COCOA BUTTER AND COCOA BUTTER SUBSTITUTES

摘要

Deodorizing and/or physical refining of cocoa butter and cocoa butter substitutes is carried out in accordance with the principle of continuous counter-current falling film stripping steam distillation in at least two different zones, where different flow and current conditions prevail for the liquid film and the vapors, respectively. In the initial zone 10 the vapors pass through trickle passages having a hydraulic equivalent diameter greater than the hydraulic equivalent diameter in the final zone 22.PPThe working pressure in the top of the falling film column 10 is maintained below 2.0 mbar, and in the bottom of the falling film column 22 it is maintained by at most 1.6 mbar in excess of that in the falling film column 10. The accumulation of any significant liquid content in the bottoms of the serially operating zones is avoided. Stripping steam is supplied in an amount of 2 to 10 kg of steam per 100 kg of charged liquid.