The Effect of Different Processing Methods on the Quality of Crude Palm Oil (CPO) in Delta North Agricultural Zone of Delta State, Nigeria

Oil palm is the highest oil producing plant. In 2006, palm oil was the world’s most important oil with a production output of 37 million tons, accounting for 25% of the total production of fats and oils. Small scale farmers adopt different methods of oil palm processing which are different from the industrialized methods. This study aims at comparing the quality of crude palm oil (CPO) produced by three different methods of oil palm processing in Delta North Agricultural Zone, which include the scientific method, the semi-scientific method and the traditional method. 18 small /medium scale CPO processing units were surveyed. The CPO collected from these units was compared to CPO collected from NIFOR. Parameters studied to assess quality include free fatty acid (FFA) content, peroxide value and the carotene content. Significant (P<0.05) differences were observed in the quality of CPO obtained from the three different methods of processing in NIFOR. There were no significant (P>0.05) differences in FFA and carotene content of CPO obtained from NIFOR when compared to CPO obtained from the different processing units. However significant (P<0.05) differences were observed in the peroxide value of all the samples investigated.