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The animal fat fractionation process leverages differences in the melting points and solubility of various triglycerides within animal fats. Through precise temperature control, a single source oil is separated into multiple fractions with distinct physical and chemical properties. In essence, it physically "splits" bulk animal fats—such as beef tallow, lard, fish oil, and milk fat—into softer and harder components to precisely meet the diverse needs of food, nutritional, and industrial applications.
1.Preheating and Melting
The raw animal fat is first heated until completely melted (typically above its melting point) to eliminate any pre-existing crystal structures, providing a uniform liquid foundation for subsequent controlled crystallization.
2.Cooling and Crystallization
This is the core step of the process. The melted oil is slowly and uniformly cooled in a crystallizer through a precisely controlled cooling program and moderate agitation. This process encourages high-melting triglycerides to gradually form stable, uniformly sized crystals (typically the desirable β' polymorph). The cooling rate is critical: too fast creates numerous fine, unstable crystals that are difficult to filter; too slow reduces overall production efficiency.
3.Crystal Maturing
After reaching the target crystallization temperature, the temperature is held stable for a period. This "maturing" stage allows the crystal structure to further stabilize and grow, forming stronger, more filterable crystal aggregates, thereby improving the efficiency and quality of subsequent solid-liquid separation.
4.Filtration
After maturing, the resulting slurry (containing solid stearin crystals and liquid olein) is transferred to separation equipment. Efficient filtration devices such as vacuum drum filters or membrane filter presses are typically used to thoroughly separate the solid stearin from the liquid olein, yielding two products with different melting points and applications.
Beef Tallow Fractionation
Among various animal fats, beef tallow stands out as the most classic and economically significant raw material for industrial fractionation, owing to its stable supply and pronounced fractionation effect. Beef tallow fractionation perfectly exemplifies how this process transforms a bulk commodity into high-value, specialty fats.
Raw Material: Refined Beef Tallow
Core Process: Dry Fractionation
Key Products & Applications:
Tallow Stearin - Base stock for shortening, margarine, cocoa butter equivalents. Widely used in baking and confectionery.
Tallow Olein - High-quality frying oil (e.g., for instant noodles), seasoning oil, hotpot oil, valued for its distinctive flavor and good stability.
Fish Oil Fractionation
As a representative of high-nutritional-value oils, fish oil fractionation focuses on isolating and concentrating specific functional components, notably long-chain Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (such as EPA and DHA). Fish oil fractionation is a core technology for producing high-purity nutritional supplements and pharmaceutical-grade raw materials.
Raw Material: Refined Fish Oil (typically from anchovy, sardine, tuna, etc.)
Core Process: Solvent Fractionation or Low-Temperature Dry Fractionation
Key Products & Applications:
High-Concentration EPA/DHA Fraction - Used in pharmaceuticals, high-purity fish oil softgels, and as an additive in infant formula, supporting cardiovascular and neurological health.
Lower-Concentration or EPA/DHA-Reduced Fish Oil - Can be used as an economical feed additive or in specific food processing applications.
Proven Expertise & Project Experience
We possess mature and industrially proven expertise and project execution capabilities in animal fat fractionation. We have successfully designed and delivered fractionation lines for a wide range of animal fats, including lard, beef tallow, and fish oil, for numerous leading clients, such as Wilmar and Shuanghui. These proven track records ensure our solutions are stable, reliable, and capable of delivering immediate value to our clients.
Purely Physical Process, Safe & Eco-Friendly
The mainstream dry fractionation process does not involve any chemical solvents or additives, relying solely on temperature and physical separation. The products are pure, free from chemical residues, align with clean-label trends, and are environmentally friendly.
Significantly Enhances Product Value & Application Scope
Transforms generic animal fats into various high-value-added specialty fats. For example, beef tallow can be fractionated into: high-melting stearin (for shortening, margarine, cocoa butter equivalent bases) and low-melting olein (for frying oil, liquid seasoning oil), greatly expanding applications in baking, confectionery, foodservice, and industrial sectors.
After-Sales Support
Ocean provides comprehensive after-sales support for its animal fat fractionation turnkey solution, including maintenance, troubleshooting, spare parts, and remote technical assistance.
Our animal fat fractionation production line is suitable for the raw materials including beef tallow, lard, milk fat and other animal fats such as chicken fat, fish oil and etc. For the vast majority of animal fats, Dry Fractionation is the dominant industrial choice due to its cost-effectiveness, efficiency, and safety.
Crystallizer, is a core piece of equipment in modern oil and fat processing. It is specifically designed for the controlled crystallization of fats and oils, a critical step in processes such as fractionation, winterization, and margarine/shortening production. Ocean specializes in the engineering and manufacturing of high-performance tanks that ensure optimal crystal formation, stability, and final product quality.
The Plate and Frame Filter Press is a cornerstone of solid-liquid separation in the modern oil and fat industry. Renowned for its reliability, high filtration efficiency, and exceptional cake dryness, it is the preferred equipment for processes such as bleached earth removal, dewaxing, and catalyst recovery. Ocean specializes in manufacturing heavy-duty filter presses engineered to meet the rigorous demands of the fractionation process.
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Q.What is the main method for animal oil fractionation, and what are its characteristics?
A: The core lies in the multi-stage heat recovery system. The process recovers secondary steam generated during high-temperature stages and uses it as a heat source for lower-temperature stages (e.g., pre-melting, secondary melting), significantly reducing fresh steam consumption and achieving cascading thermal energy utilization.
Q.What factors affect the fractionation results?
A:Key factors include: Cooling rate (needs to be slow and controlled), final crystallization temperature (determines product ratio), agitation intensity (affects crystal growth and heat transfer), maturing time (ensures crystal stability), and the triglyceride composition of the raw oil itself.
Q.What products can be obtained from beef tallow fractionation, and what are their respective uses?
A: Beef Tallow Stearin: High melting point (typically above 45°C), hard consistency. Uses: Serves as a base oil for shortening, margarine, and cocoa butter equivalents, widely used in pastries, bread, biscuits, chocolate, etc.
Beef Tallow Olein: Low melting point, liquid or semi-solid at room temperature, clear. Uses: Serves as high-quality frying oil (especially for instant noodles and other fried foods), hotpot oil, seasoning oil, and can also be used as a raw material for biodiesel.
Q. Can the fractionation process remove cholesterol from animal oil?
A:Dry fractionation primarily separates components based on differences in triglyceride melting points and has limited effect on separating trace accompaniments like cholesterol. Cholesterol removal mainly relies on subsequent processes such as adsorption bleaching or physical refining.
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