A combined vertical column and shallow tray semicontinuous deodoriser for edible oils and fats and comprising a column of discrete vessels and deodorising vessel disposed within or valve-connective thereto. In the operation of the device, heated oil from a vessel is supplied to deodorising vessel wherein it is circulated by steam injection at through a lift tube, between a plurality of vertically separated self draining shallow trays. The entire oil content of deodorising vessel is circulated therethrough approximately once a minute for a period in the region of eighteen minutes to strip free fatty acids and other volatile components from the oil by falling curtain and steam sparge techniques, and then the oil batch is discharged to a heat recovery vessel and a cooling vessel before product discharge.