The effect of temperature and wax content on the appearance of turbidity in sunflowerseed oil

Turbidity in refined sunflowerseed oil, caused by the presence of waxes, is a frequent occurrence. As such, it is a special problem in a number of countries where clear packaging is used for this oil. The application of cold test for the determination of sunflowerseed oil clarity is not always satisfactory, as the negative cold test is not a guarantee that the waxes are completely removed and that the oil will remain clear for a longer period. In this study, the threshold value for wax content which would cause turbidity in refined sunflowerseed oil was determined. At the same time, the influence of cooling temperature and wax content on the visible turbidity appearance rate was investigated. The results show that the turbidity threshold for the cold test is 80 mg wax/kg oil, and that the rate of the visible turbidity appearance of the oil depends both on wax content and cooling temperature.