Oil is extracted from several seeds, nuts and fruits for use in cooking and soapmaking, cosmetics, detergents, or as an ingredient in animal foods. The "modern" way of processing vegetable oil is by chemical extraction, using solvent extracts, which produces higher yields and is quicker and less expensive. The most common solvent is petroleum-derived hexane. This technique is used for most of the "newer" industrial oils such as soybean and corn oils.
The extraction plants are expensive and only suitable for large volumes which justify the capital cost of equipment. Where large amounts of oilseed cake are available, solvent extraction becomes a commercially-viable option to extract the residual oil left in the cake and leave an almost oil-free powder known as oilseed meal. Both cake and meal are incorporated in animal feeds.
Rapeseed Extraction Rice Bran Extraction |
