The degumming process for kenaf seed oil was investigated in this study, and parameters were optimized using response surface methodology with central composite design. The effects of three parameters, specifically temperature (25-85 degrees C), phosphoric acid dosage (0-0.2% w/w) and water dosage (0-40% w/w), on the phosphorus content in degummed oil were examined. A well-fitting model (R-2 = 0.9850) with the probability value less than 0.0001 was successfully generated for the degumming process through multiple linear regressions with backward elimination. The optimal processing conditions in the degumming process for kenaf seed oil were determined to be a temperature of 40 degrees C, a phosphoric acid dosage of 0.09% w/w and a water dosage of 22.4% w/w, which resulted in a phosphorus content of 6.70 mg/kg. There were no significant differences (p > 0.05) between the experimental values and the predicted values, which demonstrated the adequacy of the fitted model. The degumming process removed 85.9% of the phosphorus content from crude kenaf seed oil. Response surface methodology was useful to optimize and study the interaction effects of the parameters in the degumming process for crude kenaf seed oil. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.