Dropping Point of Fats and Oils According to the AOCS Official Method

Edible fats and oils are widely consumed in food products and used in food processing. The selection of suitable raw materials is paramount for the production of a high quality end-product. Unsuitable raw materials or mixtures may significantly impact on the quality of the end-product as well as on consumer satisfaction. Therefore, an exact knowledge of the thermal behavior of fats and oils under various temperatures is required.

Dropping Point Determination
The dropping point test yields important information for raw material selection and for monitoring product quality. The AOCS Official Method defines the dropping point of a fat or oil as the temperature at which the sample will become fluid to flow under the conditions of the test. It also describes the conditions for measuring the dropping point of fats and oils using the METTLER TOLEDO FP90 control unit and the FP83HT dropping point cell.

The METTLER TOLEDO FP90 central processor is the communication and control unit attached to the FP83HT dropping point cell. The method concept of the FP90 allows fully automatic experiments with minimum effort. The FP83HT measuring cell is also fully automatic and has the advantage of utilising standardised sample cups and measurement methods. This provides the user with a wide application range and fast and accurate dropping point test values of various fats and oils according to standards, such as the AOCS Official Method.
The AOCS Official Method clearly lists the expected precision at a confidence level of 95% for the dropping point values above and below 33 °C measured with the FP83HT furnace in the table below. The standard reference material used in this method is lauric acid.

The combination of the METTLER TOLEDO FP90 control unit and the FP83HT measuring cell provides a fast and simple solution for determining the dropping point of fats and oils used in food products and food processing. The FP83HT also offers the added advantage of automatic end-point detection, as well as yielding dropping point values for assisting in the selection of suitable raw materials and mixtures while maintaining high product quality control.