Oil refining is the sequence of industrial treatments, typically degumming, neutralisation, bleaching and deodorisation, that converts crude vegetable oil into an edible, stable product suitable for consumption and food manufacture.
In trade practice
Refiners document each stage through batch records and quality checks, including phosphorus levels after degumming, free fatty acid content after neutralisation and colour readings after bleaching. EU buyers importing refined sunflower or rapeseed oil should request a certificate of analysis covering acid value, peroxide value and colour, as these confirm refining was completed correctly. A frequent error is accepting a certificate issued at the refinery without verifying that the oil was not degraded during bulk tanker transport. The applicable food safety requirements are set out in Regulation (EC) No 1881/2006 and related instruments.
In a specification
Contracts for refined oil typically reference the refining grade, such as RBD (refined, bleached, deodorised), and list maximum values for acid value, peroxide value and colour on the Lovibond scale as acceptance criteria.