Factors influencing quality of palm oil produced at the cottage industry level in Ghana

Palm oil is one of the major fats and oils produced and traded in the world today. It forms an important ingredient in the diet of many people in West Africa. The quality of palm oil is mostly determined by the fatty acid, moisture and impurity content, and bleachability. This study examined the quality of palm oil produced at cottage industry level in Ghana with a view to improve its quality to meet industrial standards and increase its marketability. Palm oil produced from fruits stored at various periods with various levels of contamination were examined over a twelve-month storage period for their microbial, fatty acid, moisture and impurity contents. PCR amplifications, sequencing and fragment analysis methods were used to identify microbes, while fatty acid (FFA), moisture and impurity indices were determined by titration and oven-dry methods. The major factors determining the fatty acid content was age of fruits used to process the oil and the length of storage of the oil after processing. The results show that good grade oils with low fatty acid (FFA) contain microbes, some of which have the potential of producing toxin. There was a direct relationship between storage period of oil and fatty acid content, and microbial loads in oils. As storage period increased, fatty acid and microbial load increased (r = 0.972 and 0.967). Lipolytic organisms identified are Aspergillus (0.27), Bacillus (0.08), Candida (1.34), Geotrichum (1.00) and Pseudomonas (2.11) species.