Refining

Refining is the removal of impurities or unwanted elements from a substance, a term most often used for the processing of sugar and edible oils. In oil refining, the crude oil passes through stages such as degumming, neutralization, bleaching, and deodorization, which remove phospholipids, free fatty acids, pigments, and volatile off-flavours. The result is a clear, bland, oxidatively stable oil with a long shelf life. The trade-off is that refining also strips some natural pigments, flavour compounds, and micronutrients, so processors weigh purity and stability against nutritional and sensory losses when setting refining intensity.