Quality Assessment of Crude Palm Oil Produced by Semi-Mechanized Processor in Bayelsa State, Nigeria

This study assessed the physicochemical and microbiological quality of crude palm oil (CPO) produced by semi-mechanized processors in Bayelsa State, Nigeria. Triplicate CPO samples were collected aseptically from the processing mills. The physicochemical properties of the CPO samples were determined using standard analytical processes. The results of the physicochemical quality were 8.43% (free fatty acid), 0.17% (moisture content), 19.87% (impurity level), 43.90meq/kg (peroxide value), 192.05mgKOH/g (saponification value), 1.483 (specific gravity) and 51.17 (iodine value). The microbial populations of the samples were 7.2 x 10 3 cfu/ml (total heterotrophic bacteria) and 1.3x 10 2 cfu/ml (total fungi). The bacteria isolates and occurrence frequency were 24.1% (Micrococcus species), 35.2% (Bacillus species), 40.7% (Proteus species).The fungi isolates were 20.7% (Aspergillus niger), 10.0% (Aspergillus fumigatus), 16.2% (Candida species), 22.0% (Mucor species) and 31.1% (Penicillium species). The CPO microbial population was below the limit, but the microbial species diversity exceeded the recommended number stated by Nigerian Agency for Food and Drug Administration Control (NAFDAC) for vegetable oil. The occurrence of microorganisms in the CPO portrays a health hazards to people that consumes raw CPO. Also the high physicochemical quality of the CPO usually pose a challenge in the industrial application especially biodiesel production.