Preliminary Results on the use of Palm Oil and Shea Butter in Lubrication Process in Food Industry

Abstract

In this study, vegetal oils (palm oil and shea butter) are analyzed for their uses in lubrication of mechanical part of machines in food industry. These vegetal oils were analyzed by X-ray diffraction and transmission UV-visible spectroscopy. The different results of characterization showed that, both vegetal oils analysed have similar characteristics to mineral oils which are generally used for the lubrication of mechanical machinery in food industries. Therefore, these vegetal oils may be used as lubricant in food industry, without risk of contamination of final product in food industry. But, due to its liquid state at room temperature, crud shea butter is the most appropriate fat for this application