SB (Sergio) Oey MSc

During my master in Chemistry: Analytical Sciences at the University of Amsterdam, I did my graduation internship at RIKILT. During my internship, I optimized an existing quantification method for 3-monochloro-1,2-propanediol esters (3-MCPD-esters) and extend it by incorporating the quantification of 2-monochloro-1,3-propanediol esters (2-MCPD-esters) and glycidyl esters. Several other critical sample preparation steps were optimized to improve the method’s robustness.

My current PhD project is a continuation of my master’s internship. In a Public-Private Collaboration (PPS in Dutch) with mainly the Dutch government and an oil refining company in Zaandam (SRC B.V.), we are investigating the individual vegetable oil refining stages in order to reduce the formation of the process contaminants 2-MCPD-, 3-MCPD, and glycidyl esters. Since these contaminants are potential carcinogens, it is important that their levels in food are, at least, being reduced and carefully monitored.

The project is divided into the following underlying objectives:

1. Development of mitigation strategies for reducing 3-MCPD, 2-MCPD and glycidol process contaminants
2. Pilot plant scale testing of the selected mitigation strategies
3. Development of chemical analytical methods for 3-MCPD, 2-MCPD and glycidol and their reaction intermediates
4. The development of multiresponse kinetic models for prediction of the formation of process contaminants

Project duration: Jan, 2017 – Dec, 2020