Coconut Oil foaming during packaging
Here's the short version:
Customer is repackaging coconut oil from a few different vendors.
One vendor's product seems to generate "foam" that will not self-dissipate during the filling operation (IBC's or drums into pails).
I've poked around the internet looking for why coconut oil may be foaming and have had little success other than some fearmongering stuff that sounds like Oscar Meyer's most famous product, "B.O.L.O.G.N.A".
Nothing from a journal, citation from a book, etc.
help??
Here's the short version:
Customer is repackaging coconut oil from a few different vendors.
One vendor's product seems to generate "foam" that will not self-dissipate during the filling operation (IBC's or drums into pails).
I've poked around the internet looking for why coconut oil may be foaming and have had little success other than some fearmongering stuff that sounds like Oscar Meyer's most famous product, "B.O.L.O.G.N.A".
Nothing from a journal, citation from a book, etc.
help??
Hi JPO,
I've been working with coconut oil for a while, and I can't say that I've seen it generate foam. My only thought would be if their process creates some sort of aeration but I wouldn't expect that with oil. What happens to your coconut oil when it solidifies?
QAGB
Hi JPO,
I've been working with coconut oil for a while, and I can't say that I've seen it generate foam. My only thought would be if their process creates some sort of aeration but I wouldn't expect that with oil. What happens to your coconut oil when it solidifies?
QAGB
Well, it apparently goes away after "stirring down" the product, but it won't go away by itself (through settling) at anything like an acceptable rate. It's slowing down the repack operation and as I'm sure you know, slow down someone's units per man hour and they get all cranky.
All I have seen is that foaming (during frying) can be attributed to adulteration with palm oils. This isn't frying, it's heating enough to cause a phase change, then pumped into pails.
The other thing I saw was higher levels of cocamide can cause foaming as it's a precursor to cocamide DEA which is specifically designed to be a foaming agent.
That's really it.
So, no great into yet.
Well, it apparently goes away after "stirring down" the product, but it won't go away by itself (through settling) at anything like an acceptable rate. It's slowing down the repack operation and as I'm sure you know, slow down someone's units per man hour and they get all cranky.
All I have seen is that foaming (during frying) can be attributed to adulteration with palm oils. This isn't frying, it's heating enough to cause a phase change, then pumped into pails.
The other thing I saw was higher levels of cocamide can cause foaming as it's a precursor to cocamide DEA which is specifically designed to be a foaming agent.
That's really it.
So, no great into yet.
Hi JPO,
That's understandable. So are you saying the foam will go away if left to settle? What does the top of the product look like when solidified though? Usually coconut oil is a very smooth solid product.
The next thing I would do is to suggest doing a fatty acid profile, moisture, & peroxide value test comparing your three suppliers, and then checking against COA and specification information. Fatty acid profiles can sometimes help determine if there is adulteration involved. I have heated coconut oil on numerous occasions but haven't seen it foam. What temperature does your coconut oil exhibit the phase change? I've worked with the 76, 92, and 101F products.
QAGB
Hi there,
I'm working in an Oil Mill/refinery industry and I've never seen foam generation from oil production to product refilling. Bubbling may occur due to an increase pressure while refilling but never foam. Coconut fatty acid distillate, the by-product (waste) in oil production is the one that generates foam, that's why it is used in detergent/soap production. However, if the cleaning procedure that your supplier practices, utilize caustic soda followed by water/ oil flushing soap production may occur if insufficient flushing is done.
So, I suggest that you do third party analysis especially fatty acid profiling to verify the supplier's quality claim and check for adulteration.