On commencement of the Palm Oil Processing, the quartered Fresh Fruit Bunches (FFBs) are transferred from storage into cages which will then be loaded into the Steriliser / Cooker. It is important that the FFBs do not remain in storage for too long without being sterilized as the quality of the Palm Oil in the Palm Fruit Mesocarp can deteriorate through the natural rupturing of individual oil cells.

The process of sterilisation serves to neutralize the fat splitting enzymes that are naturally present in the palm fruit mesocarp thereby stabilizing the quality of the Palm Oil and its levels of Free Fatty Acids (FFA). It also serves to further weaken the attachment of the fruit to the stalk. Sterilisation is an essential part of the process and, using the WACAPOL technique, is carried out using saturated steam of 100 ºC at atmospheric pressure generated from a boiler / furnace. Once the sterilization process is complete the FFBs are transferred to the Stripper / Thresher.