Improvements relating to the Treatment of Edible Oils and Fats of various kinds.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 21st Apr., 1898
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements relating to the Treatment of Edible Oils and Fats of
various kinds.
'
We, JOHN NUGENT HARRIS, of 21, Howard Road, South Norwood, in the County
of Surrey, Analytical Chemist, and THE GLOBE TRADING COMPANY LIMITED, of
Broad Street House, New Broad Street, in the City of London, do hereby declare
the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates chiefly to the treatment of animal and vegetable oils
and fats of various kinds for the purpose of purification whether in a natural or
manufactured state, but the invention may also be employed in the bleaching
of oils and fats, and in the blending or mixing of various qualities of oils or fats,
to produce a material of uniform consistency and quality.
It is well known that oils and fats, especially those used for edible purposes, for
example, are liable, after a time, to deterioration, and to become, under certain
circumstances, rancid, in which state they are useless for edible purposes, but by
this invention such oils and fats may be treated so as to restore them to the edible
state.
For the purposes of explaining the invention, and by way of example only, the
treatment of rancid butter will be now described.
It may be here remarked that, in the case of fats, they will be reduced to a liquid
or oily state, before they can be treated.
In carrying out this invention, then, the butter in a liquid state, or "liquid
butter," as it may be termed, is first raised to a temperature of between 110° and
130° Fahr. in a suitable vessel.
To the liquid butter" or oil thus formed, is gradually added a chemical solu-
tion, say, a 10% solution of chloride of sodium (or, it may be, a one per cent.
solution of sulphuric acid, or a one quarter per cent. solution of permanganate of
potash) in water, milk, butter milk, or whey, the temperature being kept up at
from 110° to 130° all the time.
While the solution is being added, the mass is well stirred by mechanical means,
until a fairly liquid emulsion is formed.
At this stage, the agitation is stopped, and the emulsion is allowed to rest for
at least twelve hours, the temperature being maintained at not less than 100° Fahr.
During this time of rest, the solution, which may be termed the " washing
liquid," absorbs much of the deleterious matters contained in the fat, which tend
to give the rancidity.
After the lapse of twelve hours, the emulsion is run into another
vessel, containing a suitable quantity of a chemical solution, say, a
5% solution of chloride of sodium (or a corresponding quantity of sulphuric acid
or permanganate of potash solution) in water, milk, butter milk, or whey. This vessel
should be capable of being hermetically closed, and in it the emulsion is subjected
to an aerating process. The temperature of this solution may range between
95° and 120° Fahr., not less nor more. As soon as the emulsion is poured in, the

page_text: cover will be closed down, and a jet exhauster or other mechanism is set to work
to produce a vacuum above the emulsion. At the same time, air heated to a
temperature of from 120° to 140° Fahr. is admitted at the bottom of the vessel
through a finely perforated coil of pipe or other suitable means, and passes up
(under the influence of the exhauster) through the solution and the emulsion,
in a number of fine streams.
After about half an hour of this treatment, it will be found that the emulsion
has disappeared or is broken up, and from this time aeration for about forty five
minutes must be continued.
The aeration has the effect of agitating the material and loosening the impurities.
The volatile impurities, which chiefly give the bad odour to the butter, are carried
off to the atmosphere by the steam jet, while the solid impurities, which aiso
become loosened, are ready to precipitate as soon as the agitation ceases.
The mass is then allowed to rest for a time until the oily particles come to the
surface of the washing liquid, by which the impurities are held. The bulk of this
liquid is then run off, taking with it most of the solid impurities, a sufficient
quantity of the liquid being left in the vessel to cover the perforated pipe by which
the air enters.
Into the vessel is then poured a further and suitable quantity of the chemical
solution, (say, a five per cent. solution of chloride of sodium in water or other
liquid), and aeration again takes place for about half an hour, the temperature of
the air being maintained at 110° Fahr.
The effect of this second aeration is to produce a second emulsion, differing
entirely from the first emulsion, in that it becomes a stiff glutinous substance.
The temperature is then gradually lowered, and and the emulsion hardens and
breaks up, butter in the grain" form being produced. The buttert is then
removed to the butter worker, and is worked in the ordinary manner.
This hardening of the fat may be assisted by allowing a spray of cold water to
play upon it during the aeration.
It will of course be obvious that in the case of oils of a low congealing point,
no hardening of the emulsion will take place, but it will remain thin, so that
it can be run off to a tank, where it will be allowed to stand for forty-eight hours.
The emulsion is then heated to about 120° Fahr., which will break it up, the oil
rising to the top, so that it can be run off to casks or other suitable vessels.
In the case of edible fats other than butter, the process described above will
generally be followed, the temperatures being more or less varied according to
the nature and requirements of the fat to be treated.
In some cases it may be found useful to admit steam with the air.
Improvements relating to the Treatment of Edible Oils and Fats of
Various kinds.
We, JOHN NUGENT HARRIS, of 21, Howard Road, South Norwood, in the County
of Surrey, Analytical Chemist, and THE GLOBE TRADING COMPANY LIMITED, of
Broad Street House, New Broad Street, in the City of London, do hereby declare the
nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
This invention relates to the treatment of animal fats, such as butter, lard,
tallow, suet, or any other animal fats used in commerce, for the purpose of purifica-

page_text: tion, whether in a natural or manufactured state, but the invention may also
be employed in the bleaching of fats, and in the blending or mixing of various
qualities of fats, to produce a material of uniform consistency and quality.
It is well known that some edible fats are liable, after a time, to become rancid,
in which state they are useless for edible purposes, while other fats suffer other
kinds of deterioration, but by this invention such fats may be treated so as to
restore them to the edible or other useful state.
It is also well known that in manufactured fats, such as butter and lard, there
are various grades of the article, and by this invention these various grades may
be combined and made of a uniform quality.
It may be here remarked that in all cases the fats will be reduced to a liquid
or oily state, before they can be treated, and extraneous solid matters, where there
are such, will be removed in any convenient manner.
I will, in the first place, describe my invention as applied to butter of a some-
what hard texture, such as Swedish butter.
In the treatment of such butter, when rancid, the butter in a liquid state, or
liquid butter, as it may be termed, is first raised to a temperature of between
110° and 130° Fahr. in a suitable vessel.
To one hundredweight of the liquid butter is gradually added ten gallons of a
10% solution of chloride of sodium in water, milk, buttermilk or whey, the tem-
perature being kept up at from 110° to 130° all the time.
While the solution is being added, the mass is well stirred by mechanical means,
until a fairly liquid emulsion is formed.
In place of the solution of chloride of sodium, five gallons of a one per cent."
solution of sulphuric acid in water, butter-milk, or whey, may be used.
At this stage, the agitation is stopped, and the emulsion is allowed to rest for
about twelve hours, less or more, the temperature being maintained at not less
than 100° Fahr.
During this time of rest, the solution, which may be termed " the absorbing
and neutralising liquid," absorbs and neutralizes much of the deleterious matters
contained in the liquid butter, which tend to give the rancidity.
After the lapse of the requisite time, the emulsion is run into another vessel.
containing a suitable quantity of a chemical solution (say, a 5% solution of chloride
of sodium, or a corresponding quantity of a 12 per cent. solution of sulphuric acid,
in water, milk, butter-milk, or whey). In this vessel (which should be capable
of being hermetically closed) the emulsion is subject to an aerating process. The
temperature of this solution, which will be termed "the washing liquid," may
range between 95° and 120° Fahr., not less nor more. As soon as the emulsion
is poured in, the cover will be closed down, and a jet exhauster or other mechanism
is set to work to produce a vacuum above the emulsion. At the same time, air
heated to a temperature of from 120° to 140° Fahr. is admitted at the bottom
of the vessel through a finely perforated coil of pipe, or other suitable means, and
passes up (under the influence of the exhauster) through the solution and the
emulsion in a number of fine streams.
After some time of this treatment, it will be found that the emulsion has dis-
appeared, or is broken up, and from this time aeration must be continued for from
forty-five to ninety minutes, according to the character of the material under
treatment.
The aeration has the effect of agitating the material, and releasing any remaining
impurities. The volatile impurities, which chiefly give the bad odour to the butter,
are carried off to the atmosphere by the suction of the steam jet, while the solid
impurities, which also become released by the combined operations of aeration and
washing, are ready to precipitate as soon as the agitation ceases.
The mass is then allowed to rest for a time, the temperature being maintained
until the oily particles come to the surface of the washing liquid, by which the
impurities are held back. The bulk of this liquid is then run off, taking with it

page_text: most of the solid impurities, a sufficient quantity of the liquid being left in the
vessel to cover the perforated pipe by which the air enters.
Another wash, consisting of a chemical solution, say, a 5 % solution of chloride
of sodium (or an alternative solution of sulphuric acid, as above mentioned) in
water, milk, butter-milk or whey, at the same temperature as before, is next poured
into the vessel, and aeration again takes place for about half an hour, the tempera-
ture of the air being maintained at 110° Fahr.
The temperature of the air is then gradually lowered, and the emulsion hardens
and breaks up, butter in the "grain" form being produced. The butter is then
removed to the butter worker, and is worked in the ordinary manner.
The hardening of the butter fat may be assisted by allowing a spray of cold water
to play upon it during the latter period of aeration. The spraying with water will
also assist in washing the last remnants of the impurities out of the butter.
77
I have found by experiment that in order to obtain the best results with butter
of a softer and silky texture, such for example, as the Irish butters, it is
desirable sometimes to carry out the operations above stated at somewhat reduced
temperatures. Thus, a very soft butter may be melted at a temperature as low as
950, & the emulsion formed with the 10% solution of chloride of sodium may in
that case be kept at a temperature not lower than 90°. Similarly, during the rest
of 12 hours, an emulsion of this kind may be allowed to fall somewhat below 100°
in temperature, even to the extent of being kept at a temperature of 95°, and the
air employed for breaking up the emulsion, and carrying off volatile impurities,
may be supplied at a correspondingly lower temperature, not being less, however,
than 100°. So, again, the air supplied for the second aerating operation, may
have a reduced temperature, ranging down to 90°, from which it is subsequently
still further lowered, as above stated. I have also found that when this modified
treatment is employed, it is possible to reduce the chemical strength of the later,
and even of both of the baths herein before called "washing liquids," to the extent,
even in the case of butter very amenable to treatment, of substituting mere water,
milk, butter-milk or whey, as the case may be, for the chemical solutions particu-
larly above mentioned for these purposes. This may even be done with the harder
butters, though with less advantage.
When treating lard, whether rancid or low grade, an emulsion is produced, as
before described, except that in no case would whole milk be used for the solution.
In the aerator, the temperature may be increased to 130° Fahr.
After aeration for a sufficient time, which must be judged by the attendant,
the washing liquid, with the impurities, is run off, and the same quantities of wash-
ing liquid are added as before, and aeration again takes place.
The character of lard is not to harden into the grain form, as in butter, and it is
not required to produce the second emulsion; the solution is therefore run off
again, and washing with pure water and aeration, at about 130 degrees Fahr., is
kept up until all trace of chemical solution is removed, which can tested by the use
of red or blue litmus paper. as the case may be, or in any other convenient manner
The washing waters are run off from time to time into a suitable vessel, where
they are allowed to cool, so that any fat carried off will rise to the surface, to be
removed.
Lastly, the purified liquid fat is run from the aerator into a suitable vessel, and
is allowed to cool and solidify for further use.
The treatment of tallow, suet, and other fats, will be the same as that for the
lard.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is:-
The process of purifying fats, consisting in (1) melting the same and forming
an emulsion thereof with a chemical solution, such as is herein before termed an

page_text: absorbing and neutralising liquid; (2) allowing the same to rest, for the absorbing
and neutralising liquid to react upon the emulsified fat; and (3) thereafter treating
the emulsion by aeration in the presence of washing liquids; and (4) subsequently
recovering the purified fat therefrom, substantially as herein before set forth.
Dated this 6th day of February 1899.
NEWTON & SON,
Agents for the Applicants.