Tonsil is a registered trade name for a range of activated bleaching earths (also called bleaching clays or fuller’s earth) manufactured by Sud-Chemie (now part of Clariant). These are acid-activated montmorillonite or bentonite clays with a high surface area and excellent adsorptive properties. In the Indian market, ‘Tonsil’ has become a generic term for bleaching earth. It effectively adsorbs chlorophyll, carotenoids, gossypol, soaps, trace metals, and oxidation products from oils and fats during the refining process.