Process for the preparation of pure sucrose esters

Claim 1

IN A PROCESS FOR PREPARING PURE SUCROSE LONG CHAIN FATTY ACID ESTER BY INTERSTERIFICATION OF SUCROSE AND AN ESTER OF THE CLASS CONSISTING OF MONOCARBOXYLIC FATTY ACID LOWER ALKLY ESTER AND GLYCERIDES IN A SOLVENT IN THE PRESENCE OF A BASILC CATALYST FOLLOWED BY ADDITION TO A LOWER ALIPHATIC CARBOXYLIC ACID TO THE REACTION MIXTURE AT THE END OF INTERESTERIFICATION TO NEUTRALIZE SAID MIXTURE THE STEPS COMPRISING EXTRACTING FROM THE REACTION MIXTURE THE UNREACTED FATTY ACID ESTER AND THE FREE FATTY ACID WITH PETROLEUM ETHER, AND AFTER EVAPORATION TO DRYNESS OF THE RESIDUAL REACTION MIXTURE, DISSOLVEING THE DRY RESIDUE IN ABOUT 1:1 MIXTURE OF CYCLOHEXANE AND N-BUTANOL, WASHING THE EXTRACT WITH WATER, SEPARATING THE WATER EXTRACT AND EVAPORATING TO DRYNESS THE CLCLOHEXANE-N-BUTANOL SOLUTION TO YIELD THE SEPARATE SUCROSE ESTER PRODUCT.