Vegetable Oils

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Following the main vegetable oils traded:

Soybean oil

Soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr) belongs to the leguminous family and it is native to Eastern Asia. It is an annual herbaceous plant, nowadays known and spread all over the world.

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Soybean oil is extracted by solvents. The crude oil has an amber colour. It has a high content of free fatty acids and lipids. Before being refined the soybean oil is “degummed” in order to recover the hydratable phophatides. It is used in many foods and industrial purposes.

Technical data

Soybean oil

Corn oil

Corn (Zea mays L) is a gramineous plant, native to North America (the United States is the largest producer). It is an annual plant. The caryopsis contains about 5% of oil, 80% of which is concentrated in the germ.

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To extract the oil, the germ is isolated from the seed by means of wet milling. The corn germ oil is extracted by using solvents. The crude oil has an amber-red colour and a high cont of phosphatides and traces of wax. It is used an edible oil and it is considered to be one of the most highly valued seed oils because of its remarkable stability to oxidation.

Technical data

Corn Oil

Rapeseed oil

Rape (Brassica napus) is believed to come from Europe. Currently, the rape seed is cultivated even in Asia, Canada and Australia.

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In Europe, its cultivation has increased in the last years owing to its massive use for producing bio-fuels. The rape seed oil is extracted by solvents. At pressing, the seed provides an oil content between 40 and 60%. The crude oil extracted is dark in colour. It has a high content of pigments, phosphatides and other sulphur compounds. After refining the oil becomes pale yellow.

Technical data

Rapeseed oil

Sunflower oil

Sunflower seed (Helianthus annuus L.) is a native of the Americas, and in time it spread in Europe in the sixteenth century. It is an annual plant which reaches a full maturity after about 4 months from sowing.

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There are two varieties, one with high content of linoleic acid and the other of oleic acid. The main producing countries are Ukraine, Russia and Argentina. The sunflower oil is extracted by solvents. At pressing, the seed provides an oil content of 40-45%. The crude oil extracted is yellow in colour. It has a high content of phosphatides and waxes. After the reefing process and “winterization” the oil turns into bright yellow. It is used as edible oil, for frying and for the production of margarine. (inserire 2 schede tecniche – per linoleico e oleico).

Technical data

Oleic sunflower oil

Linoleic Sunflower Oil

Peanut oil

Peanut (Arachis Hipogaea L.) is probably originated in Latin America (Argentina and Brazil), where it is still cultivated. From there it has been spread all over the tropical and subtropical climates.

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Nowadays, it is a very important agricultural resource for countries such as Africa, Asia, China and even the United States. Peanut oil is extracted from the seeds by solvents. The crude oil has a dark yellow colour. After being refined the colour changes into pale yellow. The peanut oil remains fluid at room temperature, whereas at low temperatures it tends to darken and forms light deposits of stearine.

Technical data

Peanut oil

Grapeseed oil

The Vitis vinifera (Common Grape Vine) is cultivated on every continent on Earth except for Antarctica. The seed of the grapes contain about 15-16% of oil. The grape seed oil is a byproduct of the wine industry.

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It is extracted by the seeds of the grapes previously dried, using solvents. The extracted crude oil is dark in colour and then turns into golden yellow after refining. It is used as edible oil, it is well suited for frying because it has a high smoke point.

Technical data

Grapeseed oil

Palm Oil

The palm tree (Elaeis guineensis) is a plant native to Africa and later spread into tropical areas of the American continent and even further into south-east Asia (Malaysia, Indonesia). Palm oil is obtained from the mesocarp of the fruits previously pitted.

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The pulp obtained are pressed and centrifuged. The crude oil obtained is of a reddish colour due to the high content of beta-carotene. After refining the oil it becomes pale yellow. It is used as edible oil, for the production of industrial detergents and for personal care products. Today it has a great importance for the production of electricity (cogeneration)and for the bio-diesel production.

Technical data

Palm oil

Olive oil

The Olive tree (Olea europea) is an evergreen plant. The fruit called the olive is a drupe consisting of a skin, an oily pulp and a kernel. While ripening (veraison) the drupe takes a dark colour and increases its oil content up to 15-20%.

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Olive oil is used for cooking and as table oil. The oil is obtained from the olives by pressing. The colour can vary from light yellow to dark green. Even the taste and aroma can vary according to the “cultivars” of the olive trees. The term “olive” oil is used in a very general way so as to identify all the oils deriving from the olive pressing. We must highlight the fact that according to the parameter analysis and in particular according to its acidity, the olive oil can be subdivided into a variety of kinds.

Technical data

Olive oil

Types

Extra virgin olive
Extra virgin olive oil is free from any defect and has an acidity lower than 0.8% and organoleptic rating must be equal or above 6.5 points.
– Virgin olive oil has an acidity of 2% and has an organoleptic rating equal or higher than 5.5 points.

Lampant oils
Lampant oils are oils with severe organoleptic defects and high acidity, thus not edible in such a state but only after being refined.

Refined olive oil
Refined olive oil is obtained through adjustment by refining the lampant oil. It is not marketable in such a state for edible purpose but it is used to produce Olive oil, after being mixed with virgin olive oil. This has an acidity which must not be superior to 1.5% for each 100g.

Olive pomace oil
Olive pomace oil is obtained from the olive residues. After the first pressing, the olive residues contain about 3% of fats which can only be extracted using solvents. The oil obtained from the olive residues is called “crude olive pomace-oil”. By refining these residues it is possible to obtain refined olive pomace-oil which is made edible after being mixed with virgin olive oil. The level of maximum acidity is 1.5% for each 100g.

Biofuels

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