Help keep this site running by making a donation with paypal.
Vegtable Oils
Many species of plants produce seeds containing fats - these fats are
used as a food reserve for the developing seedling and they are quite
often present in sufficient quantities to make their extraction, in the
form of an oil, worthwhile. Vegetable oil has a wide range of uses,
and whilst many of these involve processes that are too technical for
small scale ventures, there are still many ways in which we can employ
them - as a food for example, or as a lubricant, a fuel for paraffin
lamps and as a wood preservative.
Oils are often divided into three categories according to their
qualities, these categories are non-drying, semi- drying and drying.
Non-drying oils are slow to oxidise and so remain liquid for a long
time. This quality makes them particularly useful as lubricants and as
a fuel for lamps. Drying oils, on the other hand, are quite quick to
oxidise and become solid, thus they are often used in paints and
varnishes - Linseed oil is a good example of this. Semi-drying oils
have qualities intermediate between the above two groups.
Almost all commercially grown oil seed crops in the temperate zone are
of annual plants. The list is quite long and we do not intend to deal
with them in this leaflet but some of the most common ones are Rape,
Soya, Linseed, Sunflower and Safflower. There are also, however, quite
a few perennial species that could be utilised for oil production and
some of the more promising of these will no be mentioned. Unless
stated otherwise they all produce an edible oil.
Althaea officinalis - The Marshmallow is a herbaceous plant native to
Britain and growing wild on the upper margins of brackish marshes,
along ditches and banks, often near the sea. As the common name
suggests, the roasted root of the plant was used as a confection long
before the sweet of that name was made. This plant is easily
cultivated, growing well in most soils and tolerant of fairly dry
conditions. The seed is produced quite freely but it is quite small
and tedious to harvest by hand. The oil is drying. Other uses for
this plant include edible leaves, raw or cooked, a glue made from the
root, an egg-white substitute that can be made from water in which the
plant has been cooked and stem and root fibres in paper making.
Camellia species - Evergreen shrubs from China and Japan. This group
includes the well known garden Camellias. They are quite hardy but
dislike cold winds and alkaline soils, probably growing best in a thin
woodland. They are sometimes cultivated as an oil crop in the Orient,
this oil is non-drying and is especially popular as a hair dressing.
Species to try are japonica (the garden Camellia), C. olifera and C.
sasanqua.
Cephalotaxus harringtonia - Is an evergreen coniferous shrub from the
woodlands of Japan. It grows in most soils, succeeds in heavy shade
but prefers light shade and dislikes exposed positions. Plants are
either male or female but have been known to change sex. Obviously
both sexes should be grown if seed is wanted (one male for every five
females) although there are reports of isolated females producing
fruits with infertile seed. Both seed and fruit are edible but can
taste resinous, we have no information as to the category of this oil.
Cornus sanguinea - The Dogwood, is a native deciduous shrub found wild
in mixed woods, scrub and hedgerows on calcareous soils though it
succeeds on most soils. It can also be grown as a hedge. The oil,
which is non- drying, is obtained from both the seed and pericarp (the
fleshy shell surrounding the seed). It is said to be edible when
refined. Young branches of the plant are used in basket making and a
grey-blue dye is obtained from the fruit.
Corylus avellana - Our native Hazel, is a deciduous shrub of woods and
hedgerows found especially on calcareous soils but succeeding on most
soils. The oil is non-drying. As well as its seed, Hazel was once
widely grown in coppices to provide wood for making hurdles, wattles,
fences, etc. It might also be worthwhile trying other members of this
genus such as C. colurna, and C. sieboldiana mandschurica (synonym C.
mandschurica).
Fagus sylvatica - Our native Beech tree grows on most soils but avoids
heavy, wet ones, it is abundant on chalk. Heavy crops are not produced
every year. The oil is semi-drying and is said to store for a long
time without growing rancid. The seed is also edible as are the young
leaves that are produced in the two flushes of growth in spring and
mid-summer.
Glaucium flavum - The Horned Poppy is another native species found on
shingle banks of the coast. It is easily grown in any good garden soil
but is, unfortunately, a fairly short-lived perennial. The oil is said
to burn very cleanly in lamps.
Juglans regia - The Walnut tree, is more or less naturalised in
southern England. It succeeds on most soils, preferring a deep loam,
and strongly disliking windy positions. The oil is drying and quickly
goes rancid. The seed is, of course, edible and amongst its other
uses, the crushed leaves can be used as an insect repellant. Other
Juglans species also have oil rich seeds although they may not be
produced freely in Britain. It might be worthwhile trying J. cinerea,
J .mandschurica or J nigra.
Prunus species - This genus includes the Plum, Cherry, Almond, Apricot
and Peach. The seed of all members of this genus could probably by
used for oil extraction, although in our climate the Plum is probably
the most reliable choice. The oil is semi-drying. One word of warning
though, if the extracted oil should taste strongly of bitter almonds
then it should only be consumed in small quantities.
Rhus verniciflua - The Japanese Lacquer tree is a deciduous tree from
the woodlands of China and Japan. It succeeds in ordinary garden soil
but is susceptible to Coral Spot fungus. The oil is drying. Indeed it
is actually solid at room temperature and so can be used as a vegetable
tallow in making candles. All parts of this tree including the oil are
poisonous. A natural varnish or lacquer can be obtained from the sap
of the tree.
Vitis vinifera - Is the Grape. Due to the size of the seed it would not
normally be practicable to cultivate for oil production but if you grow
a reasonable quality of grapes for wine or have access to someone
else's pulp from winemaking, then you could have a go. The oil is
edible when refined and is also used in lighting.
Finally, a few words on extracting the oil. The best method to use if
the oil is to be eaten is to squeeze out the oil in a press. As far as
we know, there are no sources of domestic size oil presses in Britain,
perhaps a fruit press could be adapted.
Prior to crushing, it will improve
extraction rates if you grind up the seed somewhat. This method of
extraction will not get all the oil out however. If you then boil up
the pulp, a lot more oil will then float to the surface of the water
and be skimmed off. This oil is not so wholesome to use as a food but
is perfectly alright for all its other applications. The oil should be
stored in air-tight containers.
Plants for a Future does not verify the accuracy of reader comments,
use at your own risk. In particular
Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants.
You should always consult a professional before using plants medicinally.
Vegtable Oils
Carolyn Switzer
Wed
Feb 23 15:39:19 2000
Hello - can anyone tell me if there are any formal studies on the
medicinal properties of brassica juncea (Indian Mustard). I
know this variety is not grown in the UK or US, but perhaps someone
might have contacts working in South East Asia. I recently did an
ethnographic study with women in low income communities of South Delhi
and rural Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan. I learned that mustard oil (from
Indian mustard and others) is currently used for a number of ailments -
from ear aches to massage for women in labour. Unfortunately I can`t
find any documented research on it`s medicinal properties.
Also, does anyone have suggestions on where to find detailed information
on med plants in Asia? ie. networks, conferences. Any info would be much
appreciated.
Cheers,
Carolyn S.
PS. I have quite enjoyed your user-friendly webpage - well done.
Vegtable Oils
Pedro Carlos M. da C. Alves
Mon Feb 26 17:58:02 2001
Hello there!
I'm Portuguese Agroindustrial Eng. student. I love plants, hate polution
and I prefer Vegetarian food.
I've one comment about VEGETABLE OILS:
why aren't there the most healthy of ALL VEGETABLE OILS - those that are
obtained from fruits:
like OLIVE OIL, PALM OIL and DENDEM OIL?!
Bye!
Pedro
Vegtable Oils
Colin Trier
Thu May 3 08:45:14 2001
Hi
There is a lot of interest in linseed oil as a very nutrionally balanced
oil that can easily be grown in this country. Unfortunately it tends to
pass through our digestive system rather rapidly (loosens the bowels as
my grandfather would say. According to Joanna Budwig (an Internet search
will bring up a lot on this rather special lady) cold pressed organic
linseed oil can be assimilated more easily if mixed with cottage cheese
or yogurt and is an important dietary way of fighting serious illness.
Has anyone got advice on growing linseed?
Vegtable Oils
melgrace c. abandula
Wed Jun 20 09:44:14 2001
hello to all,
i was wondering if we can make a good wax out of coconut oil. im currently thinking about making wax out of coconut oil for long shelf life of fruits and vegetables. but i have also found out that coconut oil tends to become rancid and maybe coconut oil is not good for making wax. please help me. i hope you can apprise me about this matter asap. thank you and more power!!!
Vegtable Oils
Mon Sep 2 14:56:09 2002
I'm interested in the nutritional value of palm oil. Can anyone tell me
about its nutritional qualities? I've heard conflicting information about
it being very high in cholesterol. What is a good source to learn more about it.
Vegtable Oils
Tue Dec 24 16:03:33 2002
What are different types of plants that produce an edible oil? Please e-mail me if you know! Thanks!
Vegtable Oils
Marie
Sun Feb 9 15:10:06 2003
Hello'
thanks for the info on less common oil-plants. I would love plans for a home press, suited to olives, but I also need info on home extraction of rose-hip oil and grapeseed oil, as my local area has plenty of raw materials just begging to be harvested by the roadsides! The idea is to use these oils in soap production. The only home-scale press I've found is in the US, and pretty pricey. Any info would be received with delight!
Thanks
Vegtable Oils
ADE faida
Mon Aug 23 11:04:28 2004
Hey, read quite a lot about Johanna Budwig and her treatment of illnesses with flax, i'd like to have her e.mail. Moreso, i am more interested in obtaining seed oil where it would not be heated at all, The guys at www.folkecenter.com have one COLD PRESS OIL EXTRACTOR for sale but i've been unable to contact them, language barrier. could anyone ask them to contact me. Thanks folks.
Vegatable oils
Nico
Thu Mar 10 2005
Hello.
I?m a Spanish chemical eng. student.
I have to disign an oil-seed extrator (for Colza o canola), but i don?t know anything about that.
Is there someono who can help me?
HELP
Thanks
Vegatable oils
Doug
Tue Aug 16 2005
I also need information about a home seed oil extractor machine. The only thing I have found so far is a diagram of an expeller press- which looks remarkably similar to a masticating wheatgrass juicer, or grain mill. Surely there is some way to extract oil from seeds at home?
I have a Samson 6-in-1 juicer, which I bought an oil extraction attachment for.
Vegatable oils
Deva
Tue Sep 27 2005
Try www.ethicaljuicers.co.uk.
Vegatable oils
ragav
Wed Sep 28 2005
Hi,
I have co. in india making COLD PRESSES for vegetable oils.We can supply extractors for virgin oils from the Cap 500KG/day to 45000 kg/day.
regards,
RAGAV
Vegatable oils
charles
Thu Oct 20 2005
Who is the person interested in the nutritional value of palm oil?
I have some information that I can share with you.
It's one of the best vegetable oils. It certainly does not contain any
cholesterol. I am trying to grow some of the trees on my land. There
are a few trees near to where I work. When the fruits fall I sometimes
collect a few for a quick snack.
this message is to carolyn switzer...carolyn..i am in south india. as you say, lots of spices that are grown and available only in india have numerous medicinal properties incuding mustard, pepper, turmeric.
i am not sure where i can find on the internet about any specific research documents about it. but yeah..these days, almost all spices grown in india alone in the world are available at any part of the world.
regards, Sundar (Ben)
Vegatable oils
sonia
Sat Mar 4 2006
veg oil is cool
Vegatable oils
Sat Mar 4 2006
you can't spell vegetable!!!!
Vegatable oils
tara
Thu Mar 16 2006
Which oil do you think is the best lubricant- cooking oil(canola), coconut oil or olive oil?
Hello Everyone from Los Angeles, California. I recently started using 100% used Veg oil in my 1981 Diesel Mercendes
I only had a filter installed. Please everyone, if you live in a warm climate, buy a used diesel car, put the filter on it and
drive using used veg oil from resturaunts that throw the stuff away. Hybrid Gas cars
are not the future, a true recyclable BioFuel car is here now. Forget fuel cells and cleaner gasoline.
Everyone should drive a 100 bio car. My exhaust of used veg oil is 100 percent absorbed by plants and
trees.
Good luck everyone, and dont forget your mother, mother nature that is.
Thanks
Mr. Tracy Turner
Vegatable oils
Antoinette
Tue Sep 12 2006
we need to extract oils in the cheapest, easiest, most ACCESSIBLE way ever. it's for school. anybody have an idea? thanks, appreciate it.
Vegatable oils
Yash Kumar Jain
Sat Sep 16 2006
Hi,
I am fascinated with cold pressed vegetable oils and would like to own a cold press unit.
I shall be glad if anybody can help me in procuring one.Please email me at kumarjainyash@yahoo.co.in
Thanks
Vegatable oils
David Bruce Leonard
Fri Jan 19 2007
If anyone has any ideas regarding how I might be able to extract Kamani oil at home, you can email me at doktorkitsch@hotmail.com
Thank you
Vegatable oils
Dan McKee
Wed Mar 28 2007
Hi everyone
I would like any information on making my own more natural wood varnish from coconut oil. nI live in the Philippines. Thank you Dan
Vegatable oils
ben
Thu Apr 19 2007
quick note. biofuels are NOT the future, not without a massive cut in demand for transportation fuel. if all uk agricultural land was used to grow seed oil crops for biodiesel etc, it would only replace 7% of the current petroleum diesel fuel used in this country. we can't all drive veg oil cars at anywhere near current usage and fed everyone.
Vegatable oils
favour edet
Tue Sep 11 2007
please, i'm interested in knowing basically about the physical and chemical characteristics of crude soybean oil, can someone help me out. so far, the info seen is all about the seed. pls u can mail if u know. thanks
Vegatable oils
Arti
Wed Sep 12 2007
i've recently found the benefits of virgin coconut iol, which is very good for hypothyroidism, constipation.also effective in weight loss. now i'm looking for a domestic cold press to extract oils of varios seeds and coconut at home. i'm in delhi. if anyone knows where to buy a cold press unit for home, pls email at ay.arti@gmail.com
Vegatable oils
Wendy Cane
Sun Sep 30 2007
I have small screw press/oil extractors available for kitchen use. Works well with falx seeds, sunflower, hemp, and sesame.
PRESS FRESH ORGANIC SEED OIL IN YOUR OWN KITCHEN!
This oil extractor is a “cold press” unit. There is no heating element in this model. The stainless steel auger crushes the seed, and seed cake comes out the front, and oil comes out of slates in the stainless steel housing, into the juicing container. Similar to a larger biofuel screw press.
As the oil is expelled, only the solid stainless steel auger and stainless steel internal parts touch the oil.
This is the “Samson 6 in 1 Juicer Oil Attachment”, the extra attachment that was unavailable in the USA until now. It fits on the front end of the juicer, replacing the juicing parts. It is very easy to to use, to take apart and to clean.
It will also fit most single auger juicers, including Oscar, Omega 8001 and 8002, Tribest Solo Star, Dimension 2000, Lexsun 9001, L’EQUIP Visor. It will not fit Omega 8003/8005.
It is a well built unit that works well for culinary oil.
We have used the Oil Extractor for Flax seed and sunflower seeds and the results are very good.
We have used it with pecans that have been chopped first.
It comes with plastic housing, a clear hopper, a removable solid stainless steel screw auger, a metal cleaning brush, and a fine screen that fits on the juicing receptacle.
$89 plus shipping. Email wcane1@aol.com
Vegatable oils
Emma
Thu Jan 31 2008
I have a Matstone 6in1 oil extractor and on first use (last night), it produced a teaspoon of oil before grinding to a halt. The machine then made unhappy noises and now I can't get the extractor off the machine - it's locked on tight. Can anyone help?
Vegatable oils
Johnny mcalister
Wed Mar 12 2008
hi!!!!!!!
Vegatable oils
A. QAYISO
Tue Apr 22 2008
i would like to know how vegetable oils are produced(production line)
Vegatable oils
ANIL LAKHA
Mon May 26 2008
WE ARE LOOKING FOR A SMALL SEED COLD OIL PRESS
Vegatable oils
Ong Ai Wei
Sat Dec 6 2008
I am interested in making my own healthy oils and hope to find a suitable good cold press. Can anyone help? Will be grateful for any information on the cold press. My email address is aiweiong46@yahoo.com.Thanks in advance.
Vegatable oils
RODICK TRINIDAD
Sat Jan 10 2009
I WANT TO DISCOVER NEW SOURCE OF ENERGY CAN YOU HELP ME?
Add a comment/link:
Discussion Monitor
To have posts to this page mailed to you enter your email address here:
(Your email address will not appear on the webpage or be passed on to third parties).
All the information contained in these pages is Copyright
(C) Plants For A Future, 1996-2008.
Plants For A Future is a charitable company limited by guarantee, registered in England and Wales.
Charity No. 1057719, Company No. 3204567,
This work is licensed under a
Creative Commons License. You
can copy, distribute, display this works and to make derivative works but: Attribution is required, and it's Share Alike (GNUish/copyleft)
i.e. has an identical license. We also ask that you let us know (webmaster@pfaf.org) if
you link to, redistribute, make a derived work or do anything groovy with this information.