Edible Oil Processing — Stage by Stage
1. Seed Cleaning
Seed cleaning removes stones, soil, metal, stems, dust and immature seeds from oilseeds before any downstream step. Done properly …
Seed Preparation
Cracking, dehulling, flaking and conditioning between cleaning and the press — the stage that sets the ceiling on oil yield.
2. Dehulling & Drying
Dehulling removes the fibrous hull from seeds like sunflower, groundnut and cottonseed before pressing, and drying/conditioning br…
3. Seed Roasting
Roasting (cooking) heats oilseed before hot pressing so that cell walls rupture, proteins denature and oil viscosity falls — all o…
4. Oil Pressing (Mechanical Extraction)
Mechanical pressing squeezes oil out of prepared oilseed with pressure — continuously in a screw press (the industry workhorse) or…
Solvent Extraction
The high-yield hexane route — extractor, miscella distillation, meal desolventizing and closed-loop solvent recovery. The industrial workhorse for commodity oil.
5. Cold Pressing
Cold pressing extracts oil from raw, unroasted seed while keeping oil temperature low (commonly cited practice: below about 60°C a…
6. Crude Oil Filtering
Fresh-pressed crude carries seed fines that must come out quickly: fines steep flavor and speed up rancidity if left in warm oil. …
7. Edible Oil Refining
Refining upgrades crude pressed or extracted oil into stable, neutral, retail-grade oil through staged removal of impurities: degu…
8. Filling & Packaging
Filling and packaging turn finished oil into a sellable, shelf-stable product. The two decisions that matter most: container choic…