Oil Processing Glossary

In short: plain-language definitions of the core edible-oil processing terms, each linked to the full page where the concept is explained in depth. Definitions here are concise; the linked pages carry the indicative figures and detail.

Core process terms

Cleaning — removing stones, metal, dust and trash from seed before processing, to protect equipment and oil quality.

Dehulling (decortication) — stripping the fibrous hull from seeds like sunflower to raise oil yield and cake protein.

Roasting (cooking) — heating seed before hot pressing to rupture cells, lower oil viscosity and develop flavor.

Pressing (mechanical extraction) — squeezing oil from prepared seed with a screw or hydraulic press.

Cold pressing — pressing raw seed while keeping oil temperature low to preserve native flavor, at lower yield.

Filtering — removing suspended solids from fresh crude oil for clarity; does not remove gums or moisture.

Refining — staged removal of gums, free fatty acids, color and odor to make neutral, stable oil.

Filling & packaging — dosing finished oil into shelf-stable, correctly sealed containers.

Common shorthand

Residual oil — oil left in the press cake after extraction (lower is better). Expeller — another name for a screw press. Miscella — the oil-plus-solvent mixture in solvent extraction. Degumming — removing phospholipids (the fix for oil that foams when heated). The glossary is expanding as new entities are documented.

Reference terms

Dedicated pages for the key measurement parameters, by-products and concepts, each with its full definition, ranges and context:

Iodine value · Saponification value · Smoke point · Soapstock · Interesterification · Fractionation · RBD oil · Miscella · Residual oil · Oilseed cake · Oil expeller

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