Introduction
A plant based fat that is acceptable for food preparation is referred to as edible oil or cooking oil. Edible oils include coconut oil, groundnut oil sunflower oil and many others. Edible oils are vital for our daily diet since they contain several minerals, essential fatty acids and fat-soluble vitamins
Fatty acids, vitamin E, and several phytochemicals required in the daily human diet for necessary physiological processes can be found in edible vegetable oils. In the past, people used to go to a traditonal oil mill to buy cooking oil. These oilmills were unique in that they produced oil naturally using a wooden press, free of any chemicals and additives. Over the last 50 years, rising populations and consumption has led to commercial oil production that produces refined oils on a large scale
Why Wood Pressed Oil?
These refined oils are extremely hazardous to one's health. For the purpose of oil extraction, concentrated chemicals are used to produce refined cooking oils. The extraction involves solvent
extraction, degumming, chemical refining, oxidation, neutralization, bleaching, filtration,
deodorization, and hydrogenation. These techniques are advantageous since they maximize the amount of oil extracted from the seed at a consumer friendly cost. Due to this procedure, the seeds are
stripped of all their naturally occurring nutrients, resulting in a final product that is devoid of
flavor and offers no positive effects on our health. They contribute to a rise in disease
rates especially, heart disease. Taking into consideration all of these factors , people are now slowly switching towards organic and natural foods
Natural wood pressed plant oils are more popular as a result of rising consumer caution and
interest in their potential health benefits. The extraction process in traditional wood pressing is not heated inany way as heating deteriorate the quality of oil. A wooden mortar and pestle is used to crush the seeds where the extraction process's heat is Absorbed by the wooden implements. Since no artificial chemicals are used, the process is entirely organic and will retain its molecular structure. Woodpressed oil has a lower yield but is far better for health than the refined version
Sources of Oil
A list of popular oil seeds and nuts
- Rapeseed-mustard: Rich in monounsaturated fatty acids and alpha-linolenic acid
- Groundnut: It contains α, β and δ tocopherols and resveratrol a phytoalexin which is an
anticancer agent, a platelet antiaggregation agent, and an antioxidant - Soybean: Oil is rich in α-linolenic acid and gamma tocopherols
- Sunflower: MUFA (monounsaturated fatty acids) and PUFA (polyunsaturated fatty acids)
rich; also contains α-tocopherol - Safflower: It contains highest linoleic acid (PUFA) and is rich in α-tocopherol
- Sesame: Contains almost equal amount of oleic (PUFA) and linoleic (MUFA) acids. Sesame
lignans (sesamin, sesmolin and sesmol) are having high antioxidant activity. - Oil palm: Rich in tocopherols, tocotrienols and carotenoids
- Coconut: Contains easily digestible short chain fatty acids
- Cotton seed oil: Contains high amount of palmitic acid
- Corn oil: Contains high amount of α tocopherol
- Rice bran oil: Rich source of γ oryzanol (known to decrease LDL cholesterol) and alsocontains α linolenic acid
(Source - Indian Institute of Oilseeds Research)
The Method of Extraction
The following are the core steps for natural, wood press oil extraction
- Select and clean raw materials: Choose high-quality seeds or nuts
- Dry: After passing quality inspection, dry the seeds or nuts naturally in the sun
- Press: Load the seeds or nuts into a wooden press, also known as a kachi ghani, and crush them under pressure at low temperatures
- Filter and collect: Collect the wood pressed oil in a container through filtration using traditional cloth filtration methods
- Package: Package the oil in glass or recyclable material
Benefits of Wood Pressed Oil
The polyunsaturated and monunsaturated fats in wood pressed oil reduce bad cholesterol levels, lower blood pressure, and promote cardiovascular health while retaining the natural nutrients, antioxidants, and essential fatty acids of the raw material, which are often lost in the refined oil extraction proces The process is also sustainable and eco-friendly, making our planet clean and green.