Abstract—Specific heat capacities of crude palm oils from the Dura, Pisifera and Tenera varieties of palm were measured. The oils were processed by hot and cold methods. Fresh and 12 month stored samples were analyzed using the Differential Scanning Calorimeter technique in the temperature range of -20 to 80°C. Results showed that variety of oil palm, processing method and storage history have significant effect (P < 0.05) on specific heat capacity of the samples. For all samples studied, the specific heat capacity increased in the temperature range from -10 to 10°C followed by a decrease to about 80°C. The specific heat capacity of Dura samples was highest followed by Tenera, whereas that of Pisifera was lowest. The specific heat capacity of cold processed palm oil was generally lower, ranging from 1.29 - 5.26 J/g°C while that of hot processed samples ranged from 1.80 – 6.24 J/g°C. Fresh samples had higher specific heat capacity compared to stored samples.
Index Terms—Differential scanning calorimeter (DSC), Palmoil, processing methods, specific heat capacity.
J. S. Alakali is with the department of Food Science and Technology,University of Agriculture, Makurdi, Nigeria (email: jsalakali@yahoo.com).S. O. Eze is with the department of Chemistry, Abia State University, Uturu, Nigeria (email: sundayoeze@yahoo.com).
M. O. Ngadi is with the department of Bioresource Engineering, McGill University, Montreal, Canada (email: michael.ngadi@mcgill.ca).
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Cite: Joseph S. Alakali, Sunday O. Eze, and Michael O. Ngadi, "Influence of Variety and Processing Methods on Specific Heat Capacity of Crude Palm Oil," International Journal of Chemical Engineering and Applications vol. 3, no. 5, pp. 300-302, 2012.
