ANALISIS KADAR AIR DAN ALB PADA BERBAGAI POSISI SAMPLING DALAM STORAGE TANK CRUDE PALM OIL (CPO)

Crude Palm Oil (CPO) is an important commodity in the industrial and food sectors. In
CPO processing, storage tanks serve as temporary holding vessels before the oil is
distributed or further processed. However, a common issue in the field is that quality
sampling is only conducted from a single point, such as the middle or bottom valve, without
considering the possibility of quality differences between layers within the tank. Physically,
CPO in the tank is not completely homogeneous. Differences in density due to temperature
and storage time can cause water and solids to settle at the bottom, while the upper layer
tends to be lighter. Consequently, water content and Free Fatty Acid (FFA) levels may
differ between the top, middle, and bottom layers. This phenomenon is known as quality
stratification. This study aims to analyze the variation in CPO quality based on water
content and FFA at different sampling points within the storage tank. The method used is
a factorial Randomized Block Design with two factors. The first factor is sampling position
consisting of three levels: top, middle, and bottom. The second factor is storage duration
consisting of three levels: 24 hours, 96 hours, and 144 hours. The results of this study are
expected to provide a clear illustration that single-point sampling is not sufficiently
representative. Therefore, the industry needs to review its quality monitoring procedures at
storage tanks comprehensively and sustainably.