FAPC-158

Robert M. Kerr Food & Agricultural Products Center

f a p c
FOOD TECHNOLOGY
FACT SHEET
Adding Value to Oklahoma 405-744-6071 • www.fapc.biz

Oil and Oilseed Processing I

Nurhan Dunford
Department of Biosystems and Agricultural Enginnering Associate Professor
FAPC Oils/Oilseed Chemist

Oilseed Handling, Storage and Deterioration of oilseeds is accompanied by respiration or

Pre-treatment carbon dioxide evolution and heat generation by oxidation
Oils are essential components of all plants. However, reactions. Sound, intact seeds may release less than 10 cubic
commercial oil production facilities only utilize plants that centimeters of carbon dioxide per gram of seed per day,
accumulate large amounts of oil and are readily available. while damaged, high moisture seeds may release 50 cubic
Currently, the largest source of commercial oils is oilseeds: centimeters or more of carbon dioxide per gram of seed per
the seeds of annual plants such as soybean, canola, rapeseed, day. Furthermore, heat generation by oxidation reactions
cottonseed, sunflower, peanut, castor and flax. The second may increase the temperature of stored seed, accelerating
largest source of plant oils includes coconut, palm, olive deterioration even to the point of charring the seeds.
and tung oil. Activity of native enzymes present in oilseeds, infes-
tation by insects and mites along with microbial activity
Handling and Storage during storage also are important factors affecting oil and
In the United States, oilseeds are shipped like any other meal quality. In general, high moisture content (above 14-
grain, either in railroad cars or trucks, and received at eleva- 15 percent moisture) in seeds has an adverse effect on oil
tors. Physical properties of the seeds, such as size, shape, and meal quality. Oil splitting, or acid generation, may be
bulk density and flowability affect the design of oilseed accelerated by microbial growth (mold and/or bacterial
handling facilities. For example, canola, rapeseed, delinted growth) and enzyme activity in high-moisture seeds. Oil
cottonseed, soybean and sunflower have very good flowabil- in mature seeds may contain about 0.5 percent free fatty
ity. They are usually stored in vertical cell-like storage bins. acids. However, if seeds are damaged mechanically or by
Copra (dried meat or kernel of the coconut) and undelinted frost or become wet during harvest, handling and storage,
cottonseed do not flow well. Hence, vertical bins are not then the acidity of oil can be much higher.
suitable for this type of seeds. Copra is stored in large flat Sprouting, considered a damage factor, is another
warehouses. Storage bins can be built of stainless steel, important issue during storage of high-moisture seeds.
concrete, tile or other material. Vertical bins are preferred Sprouted seeds may have lower oil and higher free fatty
where ambient temperature is low. Concrete bins are used acid content as compared to sound seeds. Today, air dry-
at places where average outside temperature is relatively ers are essential components of modern storage facilities
high (95-113 degrees Fahrenheit). to maintain oilseed quality. Most oilseed storage bins are
Proper handling and storage of oil-containing materials equipped with aeration ducts and ventilation blowers to
are very important to minimize deterioration and maintain cool the seeds. Since oxidation reactions are aerobic pro-
good quality of both contained oil and meal. Whole, intact, cesses, a low oxygen atmosphere in storage bins helps to
low-moisture oilseeds (about 8-10 percent moisture) may slow down oxidation and quality deterioration. Mature
be stored for an extended time under suitable conditions. seeds can be stored longer than immature seeds because of

Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service • Division of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources
the lower activity of oil-splitting enzymes in mature seed. over conveyor belts are commonly used. Some oilseeds such
Proper storage of harvested oilseeds also may contribute to as peanuts may contain stones which are similar in size to
desirable changes. For example, oil extraction yields from the seeds. Hence, they cannot be separated by screening.
fresh soybeans can be lower than for soybeans stored more Seeds need to be separated from stones by gravity. Special
than five months. The storage of soybeans also decreases “destoners” are available to remove stones and mud balls.
the chlorophyll content of green beans. Chlorophyll is not Companies such as Buhler and Triple S Dynamics are
desirable in edible oils and needs to be removed during the popular suppliers of such equipment.
oil refining process.
Seed Drying
Preparation of Seeds for Oil Extraction The moisture content of oilseeds often needs to be re-
Unit operations for preparation of seeds for oil extrac-
duced to minimize degradation in storage and to improve
tion vary slightly depending on the physical properties and the effectiveness of downstream processing. For example,
oil content (Figure 1). However, most oilseeds go through soybeans are often received at 13 percent moisture and
the process of cleaning, drying dehulling, size reduction, need to be dried to 10 percent moisture to facilitate efficient
flaking cooking and tempering. hull removal. Large, vertical, open-flame grain dryers can
be used for oilseeds as well. These dryers have multiple
Cleaning columns of oilseeds which slowly migrate downward. The
Oilseeds need to be cleaned to remove plant stems, upper portion of the column is used for drying and lower
sticks, leaves and foreign material before storage. Such section is for cooling.
material may decompose and cause heating in stored seed
mass diminishing oil and meal quality. Foreign materials Dehulling
in seeds are typically separated out by a combination of The amount of hull on oilseeds varies significantly.
rotating or vibrating coarse screens, reels and aspiration. The percentage of hulls for cotton seed, sunflower seeds
This process is commonly referred to as scalping. Buhler, and soybean are 45, 25 and 7 percent, respectively. Hulls
Carter-Day, and Kice Metal Products are some of the sup- and shells of oilseeds do not contain a significant amount
pliers of scalping equipment. of oil (less than 1 percent). Most oilseeds need to be sepa-
Sand and dirt also are removed by fine screening. Ro- rated from their outer husk or shell prior to oil extraction.
tex and Buhler are well known suppliers of such screens. Dehulling also is referred to as shelling or decorticating.
Magnetic devices remove metal contaminants from seeds. Dehulling increases oil production efficiency, capacity of
Plate magnets, drum magnets or electromagnets installed the extraction equipment and reduces wear in the expeller

Figure 1: Unit operations for seed pre-treatment prior to extraction

(R. Carr. 1993. Oilseed Harvesting, Storage and Transportation. In: Proceedings of the World Conference on Oil-
seed Technology and Utilization. Editor T.H. Applewhite. AOCS Press, Champaign, IL, 1993).

a) Soybeans: Traditional Process

Bean drying Tempering Cleaning Cracking Dehulling Conditioning Flaking

b) Canola Seeds
To Oil
Extraction
Cleaning Pre-heating Flaking Conditioning Press To Solvent
Extraction

c) Sunflower Seeds

Cleaning Dehulling Pre-heating Flaking Press To Solvent

(optional) Extraction

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as the husks are abrasive. If not removed, hulls reduce the Cooking/Tempering
total oil yield by absorbing or retaining oil in the pressed Oilseeds are cooked or tempered to denature proteins,
cake. Furthermore, wax and color compounds present in release oil from the cells and inactivate enzymes. For
the hulls end up in the extracted oil. These compounds are example, rapeseed contains the enzyme myrosinase. This
not desirable in edible oils and need to be removed during enzyme catalyzes hydrolysis of glucosinolates which are
the refining process. Dehulling reduces fiber and increases naturally present in rapeseed. During the hydrolysis process,
protein content of the meal. undesirable compounds such as isothiocyanates and nitriles
There are numerous dehuller designs to choose from de- form. These compounds are soluble in oil and lower the
pending upon the types of seeds. Knife, disk and impact type quality of oil. Rapeseed is cooked in multistage cookers to
dehullers are widely used. For example an impact dehuller, keep the glucosinolates intact and inactivate the myrosi-
which is commonly used for sunflower seeds, consists of a nase. Rapeseed is preheated to 68-122 degrees Fahrenheit
rotating blade that drives seeds into a hard material outside in less than 5 minutes and contacted with live steam at 248
the diameter of the blades. The force of impact causes the degrees Fahrenheit. Since canola has much lower levels of
hulls to break. Then, seeds are separated by using shaking glucosinolates than that of conventional rapeseed varieties
conveyor belts, multiple sifting screens or vacuum. Dehull- the cooking temperature for canola is lower (less than 212
ing efficiency of a system often is measured by the residual degrees Fahrenheit). Cooked seeds are immediately pressed
fiber content in the meal and the residual oil content in the to separate oil. Cooking also gives seeds proper elasticity for
hulls. The industry standards for soybeans are less than 3.5 efficient pressing. Cooking at high temperature is not neces-
percent fiber content remaining in the meal and less than sary for sunflower seeds. Cracked and dehulled soybeans
1.5 percent oil content remaining in the hull. Suppliers of are conditioned/tempered by increasing the temperature
dehulling equipment include Buhler, Crown Iron Works, De to 149 degrees Fahrenheit and adjusting the moisture by
Smet, Kice Industries, Inc., Rotex and Carter Day. using live steam. Conditioning is done in rotating drums
with an internal steam coil. Tempering improves flaking
Size Reduction and Flaking performance and extraction efficiency.
Most oilseeds are reduced in size to facilitate hull re-
moval, heating, drying and flaking prior to oil extraction. Resources
Canola, rapeseed and corn germ do not require size reduc- Buhler Group: http://www.buhlergroup.com/19886en.asp?
tion as they are already sufficiently small. Cracking mills grp=60&org=70_60_45&lang=EN&nav=80_10
are used for seed size reduction. A cracking mill consists of Carter-Day: http://www.carterday.com/CD.html
two sets of cylindrical corrugated rolls in series. The rolls and http://www.carterday.com/Media/CDIGrainCle-
rotate at differential speeds to break apart seed cells con- naing.pdf
taining oil. High capacity cracking mills can process up to CPM Roskamp: http://www.cpmroskamp.com/roskamp/
1,000 tons per day of oilseeds. Buhler and CPM Roskamp Crown Iron Works: http://www.crowniron.com/technolo-
are the primary suppliers of cracking mills. gies/prep_parent.cfm
Oilseeds also can be flaked prior to solvent extraction. De Smet Group: http://www.desmetgroup.com/preparation.
Flaking ruptures seed cellular structure and reduces the dis- html#01
tance that solvent has to travel to reach the oil in the cells. A Kice Industries, Inc.: http://www.kice.com/industries/oil-
flaking mill has two large diameter rolls turning in opposite seedprocessing/index.html
direction and forced together by hydraulic cylinders. As the Kice Metal Products: http://www.kice.com/products/index.
seeds are pulled through the flaking mill, they are stretched html
and flattened. Typical flake thickness is in the range of Rotex: http://www.rotex.com/02applications/app_agricul-
0.01-0.015 inch or 0.25-0.37 mm. Flaking of oilseeds also ture.aspx
increases surface area for increased contact between solvent S o y a t e c h : h t t p : / / w w w. s o y a t e c h . c o m / i n f o .
and seed during the solvent extraction process. Oil from the php?id=198&cat=8&ecat=1
cracked or flaked seeds should be extracted as quickly as Triple S Dynamics: http://www.sssdynamics.com/down-
possible (within 24 hours) to minimize meal and oil qual- loads/index.htm
ity deterioration. Flaking mills, which can process 300 to
500 tons of seeds per day, are available. Buhler and CPM
Roskamp are the major suppliers of flaking mills.

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