Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)This work presents the application of response surface methodology (RSM) to the study of the effects of three factors (temperature, percent stripping steam and the stearin/olein ratio) on the losses/transfer of fatty compounds during the steam deacidification of blends of palm oil fractions (stearin and olein) as model systems. The responses of interest were the final oil acidity and the loss of neutral oil (NOL). These experiments were unprecedented in terms of the monitoring and controlling of the process variables during the heating and stripping periods in a laboratory scale batch deodorizer. The results revealed that the oil composition was an important and statistically significant factor in the selection of more suitable processing variables, besides temperature and steam. (C) 2010 The Institution of Chemical Engineers. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.89C4383390Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)FAPESP [05/02079-7, 06/60053-7, 08/56258-8]CNPq [303649/2004-6, 471880/2007-8]