TRANSESTERIFICATION PROCESS

摘要

The invention relates to a process and a device for the preparation of a sterol and/or stanol fatty acid ester by a continuous transesterification process. The process comprises providing a dried feed mixture comprising a sterol and/or stanol (1) and an alkyl fatty acid ester (2), adding a transesterification catalyst (3) to the dried feed mixture to obtain a reaction mixture, continuously feeding the reaction mixture into a thin film evaporator (7) where the transesterification reaction takes place, continuously withdrawing alkanol (8) formed during the reaction from the thin film evaporator, and continuously recovering a sterol and/or stanol fatty acid ester product from the thin film evaporator, and removing (9) catalyst from the recovered product, and optionally refining (10) the recovered product.