OIL AND FAT EXTRACTION – WET RENDERING

DISCUSSION
In this experiment, we performed oil and fat extraction by wet rendering. This experiment was
conducted to carry out the rendering process of animal fat by using the wet rendering method, to
determine the yield of fat produced, and to analyse the fat produced. We performed this
experiment over a period of 4 hours, followed by several groups of four. At the beginning of this
experiment, we measured the weight of chicken skin, which is 100 g, before boiling. At the same
time, we measured the quantity of water to as much as 250 ml before putting it in the beaker. After
finishing, we put the chicken skin into a beaker containing 250 ml of water. For this experiment, we
only use tap water instead of distilled water because there is no chemical mixture involved. We
heated the sample from 115°C to 146°C within 2 hours. We can see that during the heating process,
there are 2 layers that do not mix, which are the fat from the chicken skin on the top layer and the
water on the second layer. This means that fat and water cannot mix due to their polarity
differences. Oil is a non-polar molecule, while water (H2O) is very polar. There is no oppositely
charged region to interact with the polar H2O molecules, nor can oil molecules form hydrogen bonds
with water. After 2 hours, we separate chicken skin and stock (water and fat) using filler. From this
stock, we get animal fat after cooling and being able to separate the water and fat. We cool the
stock in the chiller until it solidifies and can be seen more clearly formed into two layers. The
function of cooled stock is to separate the two ingredients, namely water and water, more
significantly and make them more solidified so they can be skimmed more easily. The first layer,
which is fat, is yellow, while, for water, it is quite gray. After almost 2 hours, our stock has hardened.
Next, we do the skimming process, which means we only skim the fat part. The skimming process
needs to be done quickly because it is feared that the fat melt will make it difficult to skim fat later.
Finally, we only need to proceed with free fatty acid analysis and moisture content by using a
moisture analyzer. Moisture content analysis must be done three times to get a more accurate
measurement. However, our group was negligent in following the instructions. We only do it once
and continue to calculate the amount of moisture content in our fat. Even so, we are allowed to
calculate our moisture content. Moisture content should not be too high because moisture contents
at higher levels affected the colour of the oil, which changed from brown to dark brown. The
moisture content of our fat is 0.17%, which means it is quite high. The moisture content of a good oil
is 0.005%. This shows that our fat is not very good. After identifying all the data based on our
experiment, we started making calculations to calculate the percentage of skimmed fat, and the
amount we got was 16.24%. This answer is obtained by dividing the weight of skimmed fat by the
weight of chicken skin.
CONCLUSION

Overall, the experiment is to demonstrate the principle of oil extraction using the wet
rendering method to extract living fat. To wet the render, drop the skin or fat into boiling
water and reduce until all that remains are bits of meat and tissue floating in the bubbling fat.
Strain. Discard solids. Let the liquid separate, and then pour the warm fat off the top. This
experiment also shows how to separate fat and water by boiling chicken skin. Knowing the
position of water and oil, which is oil on top of water. This is because oil is less dense than
water; it will always float on top of the water, creating a surface layer of oil. Where Soxhlet
extraction is used to extract soybean oil even though it contains solvent that has not been
separated. Then, we can know that oil is insoluble in water because it is insoluble in water.
This is because the molecules are non-polar, while water is a polar solvent. Non-polar
substances do not dissolve in polar solvents, and vice versa. In addition, it can measure the
moisture content of the sample that has been extracted to find out if the sample has good
quality and the appropriate quantity of oil. The moisture content of 0.17% shows that our oil
quantity is quite good. At the end of the experiment, the percentage of skim fat obtained was
16.42%.
QUESTIONS
1. What is the best method that may be used to determine very low moisture content in oils
(~1% or less)?

= Karl Fischer Titration (KFT). Karl Fischer Titration (KFT) is a widely accepted form of
moisture specific analysis in lubricant oils. This technology requires a sample of oil to be
heated or dissolved into a titration cell where water molecules undergo a chemical reaction
with an iodine species to produce an electric current. This is because in comparison to other
water detection methods, Karl Fischer titration is less time-consuming and often more
accurate. Low water contents from approx. 0.001% to 1% can be detected by coulometric
Karl Fischer titration, where the required iodine is generated electrochemically in the
titration vessel.

2. Suggest other methods to determine the moisture content in oils.

= 1. Visual Crackle Test = In the crackle test, a drop of oil is dropped onto a hot plate. If there
is free water in the oil, it evaporates with a crackling sound and visible steam bubbles. The water
content is estimated with a visual inspection by a trained observer.

2. Dean and Stark Method = The Dean–Stark method is commonly used to measure
moisture content of items such as bread in the food industry. This equipment can be used in cases
other than simple removal of water. One example is the esterification of butanol with acetic acid
catalyzed by sulfuric acid.

3. Calcium Hydride Test Kits = This quantitative calcium hydride reaction method is capable
of determining water in the concentration range from 0.1% to 100% in liquid and solid materials
including oils, paints, soils and water/alcohol mixtures. It is intended to be used as either a field or
laboratory method.

REFERENCES
https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Effect-of-moisture-content-on-Oil-Yield_fig1_285327135

https://www.walshmedicalmedia.com/open-access/animal-fat-processing-and-its-quality-control-
2157-7110.1000252.pdf

https://www.machinerylubrication.com/Read/327/water-oil-analysis