A process for deodorizing edible oil in a plant includes generating a vacuum in the plant and filling a degassing stage with edible oil which passes through the degassing and separating stages in succession and is treated concurrently with stripping steam; and heating the batch in the separating stages of the stripping column's upper section to 150 to 180° C., middle section to 230 to 260° C., and cooling the lower section to 90 to 120° C.; scrubbing and condensing vapors departing from the separating stages of the upper and lower sections with fatty acid to get mixed fatty acid distillate; indirectly heating a batch in a first separating stage in the stripping column middle section; and condensing that batch from separation stages vapors of the stripping column middle section and fractionating selectively into a first and second fatty acid phase, respectively rich and poor in sterols and tocopherols.
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